


Deltora Quest

by CrazyPenguinWriter2001



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Belt of Deltora, Bonding, Deltora AU, Fantasy AU, Fantasy Creatures, Fluff, Gems, I made Matt a mouse-like creature and Dan a bird, M/M, Magic, Multi, Quest, Rebelling, Slow Burn, background dystopia, de-aged or aged-up characters, it's sloooooooowww, slightly ooc characters probably, travelling, yes with capital letters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2020-11-26 21:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 99,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20936909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyPenguinWriter2001/pseuds/CrazyPenguinWriter2001
Summary: When Kevin reaches the rightful age of sixteen, his father Wymack asks him to set out on a quest to find the gems of the Belt of Deltora to get rid of the Shadowlord and put the rightful heir to the throne back where he/she belongs. He is joined by his adopted brother Andrew, and later by Neil and his two best friends. Together, they travel to the most dangerous places of Deltora to collect the seven gems and find the heir to the throne. Will they succeed and beat the Shadowlord and his companions? Or will this quest be in vain and can Deltora never be free?Or alternatively: the Deltora AU no-one asked for and I just decided to write because the idea hooked on me and didn't let go.





	1. The Adventure Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This work is based on both the books written by Emily Rodda and the anime adaption, but will follow the anime more closely since I used that as a reference and it's free to watch on YouTube, uploaded by the amazing SuperSimsChick.  
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fic!

Kevin and Andrew were walking along the market when they saw the Grey Guards claim an apple-garden. It was no secret the Shadowlord took claim over anything and everything the people of Deltora own, but Kevin still felt his heart clench when he saw how a small girl asked one of the Guards if she could have an apple and she got slapped aside.

“Move Kevin.” Andrew pushed him on, making Kevin look away from the scene.

“Andrew-”

“There is nothing you can do. Let’s not get involved. Mom and dad will not like it if we get into trouble again.”

“You usually get us in trouble you know.”

“But not by going against Grey Guards and the Shadowlord.”

Kevin had to admit Andrew had a point. Kevin wouldn’t actually know what to do either, but he did wanted to do something. 

Andrew’s hand on his back was unforgiving however, so he just moved on, like most people did. Kevin hated it, but had no idea ow to change it. The Shadowlord was too powerful for just one person to overthrow.

Andrew let go when they were on the road to their home. “Oh, happy birthday by the way.”

He threw an apple towards Kevin, who caught it clumsily.

“You idiot!” Kevin scolded him. “Where did you get this?”

“I plucked it.”

“But you said not to go against the Shadowlord!”

“He won’t miss one little apple.” Andrew revealed another one and bit in it. “Or two.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Don’t speak to your little brother like that.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. Andrew was actually adopted, since his real parents had left him on Kevin’s parents’ doorstep when Andrew was just a baby. Wymack and Abby had taken the little boy in and raised him alongside Kevin, making them kind of like brothers. It felt like that, even though they looked nothing alike, with Andrew being a short blond with hazel eyes and Kevin being tall and having black hair and green eyes.

“You are though.” Kevin also took a bite from his apple. 

“Whatever.” Andrew always had to have the last word.

They reached their home, where Abby was just putting up the laundry. She greeted them happily, but when she saw the apples, she rolled her eyes.

“Do you boys never learn? The Shadowlord is not one to mess with.” She shook her head.

“It’s my gift to Kevin,” Andrew said. “Being rebellious, like he wants to be.”

“I do no-”

“Don’t lie to me. You know I’m right.”

He was, but Kevin couldn’t admit that in front of their parents. 

Wymack came out of the house and smiled at them. “Hey boys! Are you ready for your present Kevin?”

Kevin nodded, following Andrew and Abby and Wymack inside.

Their home was small but cozy, with a blacksmith attached to it where Andrew and Kevin had both learned how to use it. Those were fun times. Other fun times were when they trained how to use a sword, though Andrew never seemed interested in that. He knew how to use one, but looked bored when Kevin wanted to train again.

Wymack grabbed a box, but before he pushed it over to Kevin he looked his son in the eyes.

“Kevin, before I give you this, I have to ask you a question.”

Curious, Kevin nodded. Andrew raised his eyebrow slightly, also curious. 

“Do you still want to do something about the situation in Deltora?”

This question came a little out of nowhere if you asked Kevin, so he sat there in stunned silence. Then his jaw clenched.

“I do, but I don’t know how. It frustrates me, but I have no idea how to fight except maybe joining the Resistance, but then again, what do they do?”

“Nothing,” Andrew pointed out.

“Thank you Andrew.”

“My pleasure.”

“Well, it’s good that you still want to free Deltora son,” Wymack said, smiling. “Because I have an important story to tell you…

> When I was younger, I lived at the palace, along with the former king of Deltora, Thannah. Me and Thannah were friends, best friends even, and we always loved to look at the beautiful city of Del from one of the trees in the courtyard. Thannah always told me how he was going to rule Deltora one day, with honesty, respect and kindness. I believed him and supported him, but as a simple servant’s son, I had no place to say anything about it anyways. I also rather played or practiced with our swords than talk about the future and Thannah’s ascendance to the throne, so when his father died and he had to take the throne, I immediately knew our whole world was going to change.
> 
> The ceremony was beautiful, with lots of people from all over the kingdom, who were whispering how young Thannah was and how he must feel immensely sad his father had died. I tried to defend him, but my voice was drowned out in the crowd.
> 
> The ceremony began, with Prandine, the king’s advisor, presenting the Belt of Deltora to Thannah, and putting it on him to see if he was indeed the next heir of Adin, the first king of Deltora as you know from the book the Belt of Deltora.
> 
> The Belt was beautiful, but it also looked old and rusty, and when Thannah had it on, it shone brightly, but not as bright as the sun, like the book said it would.
> 
> I got suspicious, so I did some research. And I did not like what I found out.
> 
> According to the book, as you know, Adin defeated the Shadowlord with the Belt, uniting the seven tribes of Deltora and using the power of the Diamond, Amethyst, Emerald, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Ruby and Topaz to keep him away, but Adin knew the Shadowlord was not dead, merely defeated, so he kept the Belt on, as well as his predecessors. At some point however, the kings and queens of Deltora stopped using the Belt and it was put away in the Tower, where it will stay until another coronation-ceremony. 
> 
> It felt wrong, very, very wrong, but the Rules made it so. This didn’t mean I didn’t confront Thannah about it.
> 
> I told him my thoughts about keeping the Belt locked away, making it weaker, but Thannah didn’t want to go against the Rules. And then Prandine appeared, making me the badguy by telling Thannah I was trying to deceive him and was preying on the throne. When I tried to prove my innocence and show them the book of the Belt of Deltora, Prandine shielded Thannah and shouted for guards, claiming I had a knife with me.
> 
> With no choice but to flee, I told my sister Anna what had happened and she promised me to look after Thannah for me, after which I fled the palace by jumping on the carriage with all of the palace’s garbage.
> 
> I never thought the lie we were living was that big however. The city of Del was not beautiful, as we had seen from behind the palace walls. There were people starving everywhere and it made me feel miserable.
> 
> I got lucky though. I ended up with Cairn, your grandfather, a blacksmith who took me in as his own son and even gave me his blessing for marrying his daughter, your mother. When Cairn passed away, me and your mother worked in the workplace and stayed happy, until the day we received a letter from my sister, who told me to come back and help her and Thannah and his wife escape. Abby was pregnant with you Kevin, so she couldn’t come and I went alone, meeting Anna behind the secret passage. She was happy to see me, happy I was alive and told me to tell her all about it after we got away.
> 
> I also met Thannah again, who had changed so much I barely recognized him. He begged me for forgiveness, and I told him I already forgave him. Anna returned with Clara, Thannah’s wife, and we decided to grab the Belt too.
> 
> Unfortunately we were too late, the Belt had already been destroyed by Ak-Baba. They each grabbed a gem with their teeth and took it, but we managed to grab the Belt, even though it was badly broken.
> 
> Then Prandine showed up, grabbed Clara and used her to gain the Belt, but before we could hand it over, Anna shrieked and pointed at something behind him. He looked, which gave Clara, who got Anna’s plan, the chance to throw him off the Tower. She almost fainted after that, she was pregnant after all, and scolded us for being useless. Me and Thannah smiled and we got out, meeting up here, in this house.
> 
> Thannah was devastated, saying he failed his people and there is no way this could be fixes. Clara told him not to give up hope, as their child could very much be the one to defeat the Shadowlord, and if their child wasn’t, one of their grandchildren and so on and so forth could be.
> 
> That’s when we decided I would keep the Belt and repair it, while Thannah and his wife went into hiding. We saw them off, telling them to be safe and make sure their child survives, as he or she is the only one who could possibly defeat the Shadowlord as the next kin of Adin. Anna went with them, and after that, I never saw or heard from them again. I repaired the Belt, but before I could go on a quest to retrieve all of the gems, you were born Kevin, and not long after I had an accident in the workplace which has left me unable to walk properly. Two months later, we found you Andrew, and that’s when I decided that when you were of age, you two could go and get the gems in my stead, if you’re up to it.
> 
> No-one is forcing you anything, but it would be a way to resist the Shadowlord and get the rightful heir on the throne again, freeing Deltora. 

Wymack locked eyes with Kevin. “So, what do you say son?”

Kevin said nothing. Abby put a hand on his shoulder.

“No-one is forcing you, remember. If you do not want to, you don’t have to go on this quest.”

Kevin looked at Andrew, who shrugged.

“If you go, I’ll go,” he said.

Kevin looked to the ground. Then his eyes hardened.

“Okay.” He looked up, determined. “I’ll go. I’ll go and complete this quest in your stead father.”

Wymack smiled. “Thank you Kevin.”

He then lifted the lid of the box, revealing the Belt in all of her glory. It was a pretty thing, made out of silver and with slots big enough to put oval gems the size of your thumb in it. But it did seem empty without those gems.

Wymack put it on Kevin, around his middle, where it glowed a bit before dimming down. He smiled and hugged Kevin tightly.

“I know how hard this is, for it will be a difficult path, so please be careful. Every gem will be protected by an evil Guardian, which you will probably have to defeat before you can get the gem. You have to promise me to be careful and help each other.”

Kevin hugged him back. “I promise we will.”

Abby came up from behind Wymack, with a dark-green cloth in her hands. “I also have a gift.”

She put the cloth over Kevin’s shoulders and revealed it was a cloak instead. “This cloak is made with a mother’s love, making it magical. It will protect you on your journey.”

“I think weapons would help us more,” Andrew commented, fidgeting with the ends of his own black cloak.

Wymack laughed. “Which is why I made some, just for you.”

He gave them each a different set of weapons. Kevin got a sword, with a red hilt and slim features, while Andrew got a set of knives, with black hilts and armbands to hide them in, also black.

“They suit you,” Kevin said, grinning.

Andrew always walked around in all-black, which was a little weird considering he himself had light features: light hair, light skin, light eyes. Kevin had darker skin, hair and eyes, but he always wore color, like blue, green, orange and white.

At this very moment he was wearing a blue shirt and black pants, since those would fit best in a mission like this, but in his backpack was an extra set of clothes; an orange with white shirt, a pair of green and a pair of white pants and a shirt with long sleeves, also blue, in case it got cold.

Abby and Wymack saw them off, giving them a map of all the places the gems were hidden according to Wymack’s research, and told them to go the Forests of Silence first.

“And be careful, as teenagers, you do not have any idea of how the world works and what dangers are out there,” Abby said, giving them one last hug.

“We will,” Kevin said, while Andrew just scoffed.

“Andrew!” Wymack called after him.

The boy turned around, eyebrow raised. 

“Take good care of Kevin,” Wymack said. “It’s a dangerous world, as your mother has said, and I trust your judgment better than Kevin’s.”

Andrew looked at him for some time. Then he smiled, just a little.

“Don’t worry dad, I will take good care of my idiot brother. I promise.”

Kevin scoffed and told Andrew to move his butt along so they could go on their adventure.

Wymack and Abby watched them go, with both hope and fear in their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome!  
This is going to be a long note, so either bear with me or just skip it if you want to read on. If you skip however, you will miss the explanation to how I chose each character's role.  
So, if you're still here, welcome to this long explanation you will only get if you have read the books from Emily Rodda or seen the anime adaption of those books (or both, I did both). Deltora Quest was a fun part of my childhood (I read the books when I was like, eleven? Whatever, the anime I watched when I was like sixteen because I came across them in my YouTube recommendations somehow and felt nostalgic, which is also part of why I'm writing this fic).  
Okay, let's get to the explanation. Let's start with Kevin.   
Kevin is the main protagonist Lief, and that's purely because they're both smart idiots and I liked Kevin to be the kind of main character for once. (Also, when I learned of Lief's name because I looked it up after watching the anime and being confused as to why his name had changed {in the Dutch version his name is Jord/Jort} I laughed, because 'lief' means 'sweet' or 'kind' in Dutch and I really liked how that also kind of suited Lief's personality but also liked how he, a boy, was named that way, and yes I know how stereotypical that is)(Also also, Lief's name was the only one that changed, so I guess that's the reason why).  
This left Wymack to fill Jared's role, since he's Kevin's father as Jared is Lief's. And for Abby it's the same, as she fills Anna's role (and I let her name come back in the form of Wymack's sister), even though Abby isn't Kevin's real mother. I just wanted Abby to have a place in this fic and I always loved her and Wymack together, so I'm sorry if I replaced Kayleigh with Abby, but I liked it better this way.  
Next up is Andrew, who fills Barda's role. Barda's the palace-guard Anna and Jared find after the attack and care for, after which he protects Lief and pretends to be a beggar. Andrew suited this role the best, since he's loyal, strong and protective too, just like Barda. But I didn't want Andrew to older than Kevin is, so I changed his backstory, which also means he has never been raped or abused, which is why this Andrew will be better and opener with his emotions, since he grew up alongside Kevin under Wymack's protection. This doesn't mean Andrew's less stoic or trusting, since he has seen things and of course is wary of spies of the Shadowlord. It will only make him more open, like I said.  
And let's see, have I missed anyone? No. The next one will come next chapter.  
(also, I kind of hate this is mostly an explanatory chapter, with lots of exposition and stories, but it had to be told, so bear with me and please do not under any circumstance think the entire fic will be like this, for I assure you it will definitely not)  
Anyways, thanks for reading and see you next chapter!


	2. Neil, Boy of the Forests

“Andrew? Do you think we can rest now? It’s getting dark.”

Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes. They were only two hours from home, in the middle of an unknown forest which holds the most dangerous beings there could be. There were parts even the Grey Guards avoided, and they were so stupid they wouldn’t recognize something dangerous if it came up to them and slapped them in the face.

“We better get as far as possible,” Andrew told his adopted brother. “Just in case.”

“My feet hurt.”

“You whine too much.”

“Don’t your feet hurt?”

Andrew wanted to snap something back, but then bumped into something. Or maybe, someone.

The Grey Guard wasn’t impressed by his five feet zero inches and very much looked down upon Andrew. Andrew froze.

“What do we have here?” he said. “Trespassers!”

Kevin had appeared behind him, making Andrew slap something. Just their luck.

Before the Grey Guard could do anything, Andrew stabbed him, making him dissolve in a gray cloud of dust – he always wondered if Grey Guards were fully human, since they sometimes disappeared and were replaced and all looked the same, as if they were clones – and grabbed Kevin, running along the path while other Grey Guards fired Blisters at them.

Blisters exploded left and right of them, making Andrew jump into the bushes and just enter the forest, and Kevin curse when one of them came too close.

The Grey Guards did not follow, giving them a little break when they came across a clearing.

“You should have watched where you were going!” Kevin said, mad. “We almost got killed!”

“If you weren’t distracting me by complaining all the way, I might have looked where I was going,” Andrew bit back. “So don’t blame it on me.”

“You could have ignored me, like you always do.”

“I do not always ignore you. Only when you irritate me.”

“Which is most of the time then, but not now?”

“No, now you were distracting me.”

Kevin fumed, but then Andrew notices there was something in the bushes beside him and silenced Kevin before he could speak again.

“What?” For some reason, Kevin hadn’t gotten the memo.

“There is something in those bushes.”

“Probably wildlife. We’re in a forest after all.”

Andrew rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, he felt something sting in his leg and numbed, falling to the ground, unconscious.  
“Andrew?” Kevin asked, worried. “Andrew!”

He hurried over, turning Andrew around, but the other boy didn’t react. Kevin then saw a pair of red eyes, looking at him.

He froze. Was that the thing that made Andrew fall unconscious? Or was it another animal, waiting for the perfect opportunity to eat them both.

Not willing to take any chances, Kevin put his hand on the hilt of his new sword, but then he felt something sting in his back, numbed, and blacked out.

Kevin wakes when it is morning again. Or midday. It was hard to tell in a thick forest, but he did see sunlight, so it must be day.

Next to him he heard Andrew grunt and mumble curses. Happy his brother was alive, he tried to turn around, but found he couldn’t.

“Andrew?”

“Oh, you’re awake.”

“I’m paralyzed. I cannot move.”

“What makes you think I can? I’ve been trying and failing to get a hold of my knives this whole time, and it just won’t work.”

Above them, a crow cawed and flew down. It landed on Kevin’s chest.

“A crow?” he asked.

“That’s a raven idiot.”

The raven cawed again. Then someone whistles, making the raven leave Kevin’s chest.

Someone landed next to him and crouched in front of them.

It was a boy, probably of his age, with fiery red hair, fierce, blue eyes and a slim but strong figure. He wore a gray shirt, darker gray leggings and brown boots. His arms were covered in scratches and scars, but if you looked past his horrible choice of clothes – only Grey Guards wore gray – and those scars, he was stunningly beautiful. It made Kevin wonder what he was doing in the forest in the first place, but they had other things to think about now.

“Can you help us?” he asked the boy.

The boy raised his eyebrow and snorted. “Look Matt! Fresh meat. Let’s see...”

He walked around them, and if Andrew weren’t paralyzed, he would have jumped up and punched the guy right then and there, in the gut, where it would hurt the most.

“I think they don’t have any food on them, but the cloak this one wears is worth it.” The boy went to Kevin and pulled his cloak off.

“Hey!” Kevin protested, laying on his side and facing Andrew, who was fuming. “My mother gave that to me!”

The boy scoffed. “As if you have a mother.”

He then walked away, yelling: “Dan! Look at this cloak! It’s a great addition, isn’t it?”

“Give it back!” Kevin shouted.

“Don’t even bother,” Andrew said. “He’s just a petty thief.”

The boy walked over to them again. “You were the first to steal, but for that comment, you deserve some fun information.” He smirked, hovering over them. “The beasts that paralyzed you, are called Wenn. They worship a monster named the Wennbar, for which they leave offerings every day. You are the newest batch, and when the Wennbar comes at sundown, it’s dinner time.”

The boy got up again and went off, leaving Andrew and Kevin alone.

“Andrew?” Kevin then said. “I really don’t want the quest to be over already.”

Andrew scoffed. “Then let’s find a way to escape this Wennbar-thing.”

Neil jumped from tree to tree, followed by Dan. He was really happy to have gone this way today, since otherwise the warm and pretty cloak would have been filthy with blood and Wennbar-drool. 

Dan cawed in warning, but Neil recognized it too late and slipped over some slime sitting on top of one of the trees. 

Matt fell off his shoulder, squeaking in fear. Dan scooped him up before he fell to his death however, making Neil breathe again.

“What did you do that for?” he asked the tree.

“_You have stolen something really valuable this time, child,_” the tree answered. “_Come closer, I will show you._”

Neil came closer, while Dan and Matt landed behind him, and put his forehead against the bast of the tree. There, he saw how the blackhaired boy he stole the cloak from, got the cloak from a woman who looked a little like him, feature-like. She also had slim bones and green eyes, but not the black hair.

His mother. So the boy wasn’t lying, which must mean they weren’t Grey Guards.

“Oh,” he said.

“_Go give it back and apologize please,_” the tree begged him. “_It will be for the best._”

Neil really didn’t want to admit his mistake, but he knew the trees never lied to him – unless they were evil of course, but this tree wasn’t.

Dan nudged his foot, cawing again. Matt told him to go and help the other two as well.

So he sighed, put Matt on his shoulder again and went back, hoping he would be on time.

Andrew had managed to move his fingers a little, but the sun was already going down, which meant they didn’t have much time.

Kevin next to him shivered, missing his cloak, but Andrew was happy he didn’t complain about it. 

He just wanted to tell Kevin he could move his fingers a little again when he saw familiar brown-booted feet standing next to him from the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, you’re back,” Kevin sneered. “Wanted to steal some more?”

They heard a bottle being opened.

“Be still, I’m here to help you.” The boy’s voice was soft, almost guilty. 

Andrew wanted to scorn him, but then he heard Kevin struggle and then cough violently.

“Open your mouth,” the boy said, his pretty face hovering above Andrew.

Andrew shut his lips, stubborn.

“Oh, that burned,” Kevin then said. “Andrew, it hurts a lot, but it does remove the paralyzing effects.”

“Exactly,” the boy smirked. “Wanna try?”

Andrew tried. It hurt like hell, but it felt good to move his limbs again.

The boy gave Kevin his cloak and pointed to the top of the tree. “We need to climb it, as high as possible. The Wennbar cannot reach us there.”

“And why should we trust you?” Andrew held one of his knives in his hand.

“Because I just saved you? Now hurry!” The boy started climbing.

Kevin looked at Andrew, shrugged and followed the boy, forcing Andrew to follow as well.

They had just reached the top when they heard something big come closer, making bushes and twigs crack on its path.

A large, hideous monster appeared, with a large head and baggy folds of skin around its neck. It smelled awful and looked a little like a rotting fruit, which is probably what it was and where the smell came from.

“Is that the Wennbar?” Kevin asked.

The boy nodded and gestured Kevin to be silent. They sat up there for some time.

The Wennbar sniffed around where they were, then looked up. Its big, yellow eyes pierced through them. Its mouth, which already looked like it was smiling too broadly, opened, showing them its many teeth and loud screech.

Then it did something shocking. It’s neck grew and reached out. Kevin backed away, but the boy just looked down, at the Wennbar. 

Andrew looked at Kevin, knife ready. 

The Wennbar screeched again, but the boy smiled. 

“It can’t reach us. We’re too high up.”

“It doesn’t seem to be giving up though,” Andrew said, nodding to the monster, who was staring to climb in their tree.

The tree stood tall however, and the Wennbar couldn’t climb, so it screeched again and clawed in the tree.

A fluffy, big-eyed creature appeared from under the boy’s shirt. It had a plumb on his head and a fluffy tail, four little paws that were just visible from under his beige hair and overall looked very cute and huggable.

“Get back Matt,” the boy said, pushing the fluffy creature back in his shirt. “It’s not safe yet.”

Matt obliged and hid again.

Kevin looked at the Wennbar again, which was still not giving up on them. “Come.”

He opened his cloak and looked at the other two. “It’s getting cold and my cloak is warm.”

“My cloak is warm too,” Andrew said.

“We better huddle together though, because-” he looked at the boy.

“Neil.”

“Neil has none and we can share body-warmth.” Kevin knew Andrew didn’t like human contact, but he did want to hug Andrew a little, since the Wennbar scared him a bit.

Andrew grudgingly agreed and they huddled together under Kevin’s cloak, Neil also reluctantly.

Neil then frowned. “This cloak feels like magic.”

Kevin looked at Andrew. “Well, my mother said it’s magical...”

“But it didn’t before, which is strange.” Neil looked at the Wennbar. “What’s also strange is his behavior. Has it lost us?”

Kevin and Andrew looked as well. The Wennbar looked left and right, but not up anymore. It actually seemed to have lost them.

It lowered down and walked away again, but before any of them could say anything, another creature appeared. 

It was small, probably smaller than Andrew, had long limbs with each two nails and two, red eyes, on stocks on top of their shoulders. They looked a nasty white and moved on its two legs, almost bouncily. 

“What are those?” Kevin asked.

“The Wenn,” Neil told them. “They’re looking for scraps the Wennbar might have left behind.”

The Wennbar returned, and the Wenn knelt in front of it. They really seemed to adore the monster, but the monster was harsh. Since it had no food, it ate two of the Wenn. The other Wenn ran away screaming, making Kevin wonder where those sounds came from. They had no mouths, it seemed.

The Wennbar stomped off again, hopefully full. 

Kevin stood up, uncovering them and stared at the place the Wennbar disappeared to. 

“Put on your hood,” Andrew told him. “I want to see for myself if that thing really makes us invisible.”

Kevin did, and judging by Andrew and Neil’s looks – Andrew looked mildly surprised and Neil’s eyes went wide and eyebrows up – he did turn invisible again.

“That cloak is magic,” Neil said. “How did I not notice it?”

“You’re able to feel magic?”

“Yes. But here’s not the right place to stay and talk; the Wennbar might return. Let’s go to my hut. I have food and drinks there and we can exchange stories in private.”

Neil jumped down, gesturing Andrew and Kevin to follow. After a quick exchange of looks they did.

Neil was way faster than Kevin or Andrew, meaning he had to wait for them from time to time. They reached his hut safely however, so Neil guessed he could forgive them for being slow.

Also: they weren’t adjusted to jumping from tree to tree all the time, making the blond one mutter ‘Monkey’.

Neil let them in and put Matt in his bed made of cloth, where Matt nuzzled and happily walked a few rounds before sitting down and humming a little.

The other boys looked at Matt in awe, though the blond one could cover his emotions better than the other one.

“So, you know my name, but I haven’t caught yours.” Neil raised an eyebrow.

“I’m Kevin,” the tall, darkhaired one said. “And this is my adopted brother Andrew.”

Neil nodded and threw them some fruit before sitting down in the windowsill. He looked outside, where the forest was dark and started to become more lively with screeching from owls and other nightpredators. 

“So,” Andrew started. “What’s a little boy doing all alone in the forest?”

Neil looked at him sourly. “I live here.”

“Why?”

“No, my turn. What are you doing here?”

“None of your business,” Andrew said before Kevin could answer. “Why do you live here all alone?”

“I have Matt and Dan with me.” Neil gestured to his two best friends. “So I’m not alone. Answer my question, and I will answer yours.”

Andrew smirked. “Ah, we’re making a game out of this?”

Neil said nothing. It seemed obvious to him that they were making a game out of this.

“We came here to look for something in the Forests of Silence,” Kevin said. “Maybe you know where it could be. It’s supposedly hidden in the darkest part of the Forests, so the Wennbar’s hideout is a good start.”

Neil laughed. 

“What’s so funny?” Kevin asked, sounding hurt.

“You thinking the Wennbar’s hideout might be the most dark part of the Forests. You have to be kidding me; the Wennbar is one of the least dangerous creatures here.”

“Which is why we need your help,” Kevin said, turning it around. “You know these forests, so you must know where we need to go.”

“If you want to die, sure.” Neil stood up, making eye-contact with Andrew. “As for your question, I lived here with my mother. She died when I was seven, and from then on, I had to survive on my own here. My uncle also disappeared around then.”

“And your father?”

“Never knew him. Probably died before I was even born,” Neil lied. 

He might not know who his father is, or even his father's name, he did know his mother always told him he was evil and never to speak about him to anyone.

“I’m sorry,” Kevin said.

“What for?”

“For you losing your family.”

Neil didn’t get why Kevin was sorry.

“It’s called sympathy,” Andrew provided for him. “Forest junkie.”

Neil scoffed. “Well, do you want me to show you the way? Tell me what you’re looking for.”

Kevin and Andrew exchanged glances.

“We can’t,” Kevin said. “But we can tell you it’s to get rid of the Shadowlord.”

“Who’s that?”

“The most evil being there is and the current ruler over Deltora, which is the country this forest of yours is in if you weren’t familiar with that name as well.”

Neil looked sourly at him. “I know what Deltora is. And if I were you, I’d be nicer to the person who saved your life and is offering you to guide you to your deaths.”

“After robbing us and leaving us to rot anyways.”

“I came back didn’t I?”

“Yeah, why did you?”

“What are you willing to tell me in return?”

“I’m younger than Kevin, but since our parents don’t know the exact date of my birth, they use the day Wymack, our father, found me, which makes me two months younger than Kevin is, who turned sixteen today.”

“I’m fifteen too,” Neil said, surprised. “But I won’t turn sixteen for another six months.”

“Great. Why did you come back?”

“A tree told me to.”

Andrew started laughing, while Kevin frowned. Neil seemed to be offended by this.

“It did! So what if I can talk to trees and animals? It’s not funny!”

“Oh my, that’s the weakest excuse I’ve ever heard.”

Neil crossed his arms. “Okay, go whisper something to the tree you’re standing on then, something you haven’t told me yet, and I will ask the tree what you told it. If I know, you will know I can talk to trees and animals.”

Dan cawed.

“She’s for this plan,” Neil said, smirking. “Thanks Dan.”

“How will I know you will not just hear?”

“I think you are smart enough to figure something out yourself.”

Andrew snorted and whispered something to the tree, smirking. Kevin found this weird, but he was curious. If Neil could really talk to trees, that would be a nice power to have on their side. 

When Andrew was done, Neil asked the tree to tell him what Andrew had just whispered to it and listened.

Then he got angry again. “I’m not some stupid forest junkie! Stop calling me that!” 

Andrew grinned. “Well, I guess you can talk to trees after all.”

Neil huffed and turned to Kevin. “How can you stand him as your brother?”

Kevin shrugged. “Experience?”

This didn’t please Neil, who turned around again and sat on his make-shift bed, which was actually just a blanket on the ground Kevin assumed was his bed.

“Okay, this part of the Forests is called the First Wood. The other woods are Mid Wood and Last or End Wood, which is the least dangerous of all. The First Wood is the largest, with many creatures and dangerous spots, but if you’re looking for the most dangerous part of the Forests of Silence, you have to go to the Mid Wood, to a place called the Dark.”

“Sounds promising,” Andrew remarked, earning him a scolding face from both Kevin and Neil.

“The Dark is a place even the animals and monsters from all of the other forests are afraid to enter, since anything and anyone who entered there, never came back alive. The trees there are evil, letting their victims trip and slip over their slime to fall to their death or even strangle their victims with vines, to eat. There are evil trees here as well, but the source seems to be coming from the Dark, since there all trees are evil.” Neil grabbed Matt and petted his head. “My mother always forbade me from even coming close, but every tree and creature knows where it is. I will bring you close enough to see it, but not any further. I also have to think about my friends Dan and Matt.”

Kevin looked at the ball of fluff, Matt. “You called him ‘Matt’?”

“Yes. I found him when he was younger, just after my mother had died. He keeps me company and calms me down when I have another panic attack or nightmare. Dan I found a few months after, and she’s been a big help and a great friend to me too since then.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

Neil stood up and gestured the other two to follow him. He led them to a darker part of the forest, where no light seemed to come through.

“I guess this is the Dark,” Andrew said. 

“This is the edge of it, yes. And as far as I’m willing to bring you.” Neil looked at them. “You will most likely also find your end here, so I guess this is goodbye then.”

Kevin smiled at Neil. “Goodbye Neil, and thank you. You were a great help.”

“Yeah, without me you would have died, but with me, you’re walking towards it, so I guess it was for nothing after all.”

“Have a little faith junkie,” Andrew said.

“Do not call me junkie.”

“Whatever you say junkie.”

Neil’s nose wrinkled, but he said nothing and just crossed his arms and watched Kevin grab Andrew’s arm and lead him into the Dark.

Dan cawed, sad to see them go.

“Why?” Neil asked her. “We don’t need anyone else.”

Dan told him she thought some human contact now and then wasn’t bad for him, making Neil scoff. Matt unfortunately agreed, also telling him he had the feeling these two were really nice.

Neil shook his head. “They’re keeping secrets. Kevin has something magical around his middle, as a belt, but neither of them said anything about it.”

Dan and Matt told him he was keeping secrets too, making Neil huff in annoyance and sigh.

“Let’s just go home.”

But yet, even though he said they should go home, he found himself standing besides the tree, staring at the spot Andrew and Kevin disappeared to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kevin, pointing to the Wenn while they're up in the tree hiding: WHAt ArE ThOSe???!! ([ from for example this vine for those who do not understand the reference ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NL2lRwlDbw/))
> 
> Also, another who's who explanation, for those who are interested.  
Neil is filling Jasmine's role, making me eliminate the only girl in the original trio, but idgaf. I liked how both she and Neil are not easy with trust, constantly bicker, but have great survival skills and have had both their parents killed, forcing them to make it on their own. (Also, for those who do not know, Jasmine stole from the Grey Guards who were eaten by the Wennbar and used their clothes to make her own, so our boy Neil is doing the same and that's why he's dressed in his favorite color and Kevin detests it).  
Matt fills the role of Filli, someone who's waaaaaaaaaayy cuter in the anime than the picture I saw of her (yes, Filly is female) on the DeltoraWiki, so here's a cute picture of what Matt looks like here: [ Filli ](https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNRlIoW_x9c0MTJhf_XLEQiah0I97A:1570460510578&q=filli+deltora+quest&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ACYBGNRlIoW_x9c0MTJhf_XLEQiah0I97A:1570460510578&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQovemtYrlAhUBblAKHRvRB94QsAR6BAgIEAE&biw=1366&bih=642#imgrc=5UZY5-Pj0I6PzM:). Matt does so because Filli is Jasmine's best friend (with Kree, but we'll come back on that later) and Matt's Neil's bestie, so I made him into an animal who is with Neil all the time and will never not be loyal to Neil too.  
Dan is filling Kree's role, who's a raven (the irony) and also Jasmine's best friend. Kree might be male, but he's also the one who actually takes action, like Dan is. They're both loyal and not too afraid to take action to safe their loved ones, so that's why Dan's Kree.  
Thanks for reading and see you next time!


	3. The Golden Knight

Neil was still staring, but didn’t notice it. Dan and Matt found it funny how he seemed lost in thought, but also saw this as a sign Neil was feeling lonely again, craving human contact without ever noticing or admitting it.

Dan nudged Neil’s shoulder, making the boy look at her. She told him to go after them.

“Why?”

She said they might need his help, and he had to admit he liked their company for the short time they were there. Also, wasn’t he curious what they were looking for and what Kevin had around his middle?

Neil had to admit he was curious, but he would not say he liked their company. Or at least, not out loud. Maybe not even in his head. But his heart knew.

Matt yipped and told Neil he agreed with Dan. They would do it, if they were him.

“But you’re not,” he said softly, and sighed.

Then he looked at the Dark again, shivering a little at how evil it felt. The trees were definitely up to no good there. What if Kevin got stuck, even though Neil had warned them about what evil trees did to their victims? What if Andrew slipped and fell to his death, leaving Kevin alone, when he clearly cannot take care of himself without looking at Andrew for approval? Or what if they reached the spot, the cave Neil knew existed there since he heard the trees talking about it from time to time, whispering about a golden person who killed others?

Groaning, Neil started walking back to his hut, but the feeling in his stomach did not disappear. He turned around and looked, but saw no sign of either Andrew or Kevin. 

Dan cawed again, softly, telling him to go.

Neil clenched his jaw. “Fine.”

He marched in.

Kevin was in awe. The First Forest was indeed less dangerous and evil. This place reeked of it, as if it was made of evil.

Andrew was bothered by it too, looking left and right, watching their surroundings closely and walking slowly, to avoid being surprised. 

“Neil was right,” Kevin whispered, startling Andrew.

He didn’t look sorry, even though he said so. Andrew huffed and looked at him angrily. 

“Right about what?” Andrew sneered.

“About this forest being evil.” Kevin looked around. “It's giving me the creeps.”

“Don’t be such a baby.”

“I’m not!”

Andrew rolled his eyes and continued walking until they came across a cave. Kevin gasped.

“What?” Andrew asked.

“The Belt,” Kevin said, feeling around his middle. “It’s getting warmer.”

Andrew looked at the cave. “What did that book say again? It feels the presence of the gems?”

“Something like that. I think it senses one of the gems around here.” Kevin also looked at the cave.

They stared at it for a while.

“What do you think is the Guardian of this gem?” Kevin then asked, remembering what their father had told them.

“Whatever it is, it will meet the end of my blades,” Andrew said, holding both his knives in his hands.

Kevin drew his sword. “Okay, how do we proceed?”

Before Andrew could react, there was a strong wind coming from the cave. In front of it appeared a knight, with golden armor, standing still with both his hands on his fancy but strong-looking sword.

Kevin felt the Belt grow even warmer and then spotted the gem.

“Andrew,” he hissed. “Look! At the hilt of that knight’s sword.”

Andrew looked. There, sitting in the hilt of the sword, was an orange/golden gem; the Topaz. He remembered what was written in the Belt of Deltora, a book Wymack made him and Kevin read and memorize, probably in advance of their quest: _ Topaz, symbol of faithfulness, protects it wearers from the terrors of the night. It strengthens and clears the mind, has the power to open doors into the spirit world, and its strength increases as the moon grows full._

He nodded at Kevin, and they walked towards the knight.

“WHO GOES THERE?” a booming voice then asked them.

Startled, they stopped. Kevin answered.

“We’re travelers from Del, we mean no harm!”

“Nonsense!” the voice said, with an accent Andrew and Kevin weren’t familiar with. “Every traveler who goes here has one goal in mind, which makes them my enemy!”

He drew his sword and attacked, but both Kevin and Andrew dodged.

“Who are you?” Andrew asked, hoping to draw the knight’s attention.

“My name is Gorl, and I’m a knight from Jalis.” The knight turned around to face them again. “And you are my enemy!”

Andrew sprinted in the cave, while Kevin blocked the sword, but then Andrew was pulled back by some force, which sucked and hurt a lot.

Gorl drew him near and struck again, but Andrew managed to roll away. 

So the thing Gorl didn’t want them to find was in the cave, he thought. Interesting.

Kevin attacked, but Gorl blocked it and threw Kevin aside with his magic, which made his golden glove glow.

Andrew used this as an opportunity to attack again, but Gorl was prepared and blocked it again. 

This wasn’t good. If they kept on going, sooner or later, Kevin and Andrew were going to get tired, while Gorl didn’t seem to break a sweat at all. Now that he thought about it, Andrew hadn’t seen even an inch of skin from that guy. Was his armor that good? 

Gorl attacked again, but this time both Andrew and Kevin got the opportunity to get into the cave. The knight followed, obviously, but Andrew was more startled by the number of bones and even half-rotting corpses on the ground.

Kevin seemed like he could throw up any minute, hurling a bit, but he somehow held it together and simply stared in horror at all of the bones and corpses. 

Gorl came up behind them, laughing. “Those were the other fools who dared enter this place; man, woman, child, animal, everybody got to meet their end and was fed to my vines, to keep this place together and keep my treasure safe.”

They were thrown away again, Andrew this time hit a set of armor, which looked like the one Gorl was wearing.

Kevin was to the side somewhere, so Andrew needed to distract Gorl.

“Hey Gorl!” he yelled. “You have no honor!”

This seemed to have hit a nerve with Gorl. He swung at Andrew, hitting him in the arm, but there was only force and fire in that hit, no precision or skill. Like a toddler swinging his sword.

“Those two sets of armor-” Andrew had just noticed another one, “-they were your friends, right? How did they meet their end?”

Gorl stopped swinging. If Andrew could see his eyes, they would probably be glassy now, locked far, far away. 

“Ah, my brothers,” Gorl started telling. “We came here together, you know, seeking the Lilies of Life.”

“Lilies of Life?”

“You must know what they are you thief, since those are the things you seek.” Gorl huffed. “Anyways, my brothers and I were entranced by the Lilies, but I knew they wouldn’t share, so we fought and I won, but by then the Lilies didn’t bloom anymore. So I built this shelter to keep them safe and killed everyone who dared to come close.”

Andrew saw Kevin walk up behind Gorl, sword ready. He nodded at Andrew, who nodded back.

“We didn’t come to seek the Lilies you speak of,” Andrew said, honestly. “We just want something you got stuck on your sword.”

“Liar!” Gorl got angry again. “The Lilies are almost in bloom, so why wouldn’t you want them? Now more then ever is the perfect time to steal my treasure!”

Andrew clenched his knives. “Sorry pal, we’re not interested.”

He attacked, but as predicted Gorl dodged it, right into Kevin’s sword. Gorl made a gurgling sound.

Kevin drew back his sword, looking pleased with himself. Andrew wouldn’t celebrate yet. And he was right.

Gorl laughed, and his armor glowed up. He grabbed Andrew by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

Kevin screamed his name, but Gorl continued laughing and Andrew continued gagging, desperately gasping for air.

“Fools! I have become too strong! And with the nectar from my Lilies, I will become even stronger!” He threw Andrew aside, who hit his head again, but this time really good. He heard his own skull crack before losing consciousness.

Kevin, who saw this happen, started to run towards Andrew, but Gorl used his magic on him to force him onto the ground again, disabling Kevin from getting to his maybe-dying brother.

“Now you will also die and feed my lovely vines,” Gorl said, making Kevin feel like throwing up.

Then, a familiar voice cut through the cave. “Hey Gorl!”

Kevin and Gorl looked up, to see Neil standing on a tree-branch, looking disgusted. His eyes spat fire however, giving Kevin chills.

“You spread evil into these forests, hurting both plants and animals. Maybe you should look in a mirror, because I get why the trees don’t like you very much. You take claim on something you don’t even own and kill for no good reason, so it’s time you meet your demise!” He started cutting the vines, making Gorl scream and release Kevin.

“Kevin! Run to the middle!” Neil shouted to him.

Kevin stared at him in awe.

“Kevin!”

“Going!” Kevin ran towards the middle, just as a large branch fell down.

Gorl screamed, but was too late to get clear. Kevin nearly got hit, meaning Gorl got crushed by the large branch.

Dan cawed. Neil jumped down, kicking the armor just in case, but Gorl seemed thoroughly dead.

“Are you okay?” Neil helped Kevin up.

Kevin nodded. “Yeah, but how did you get here? I thought you said you didn’t want to go here.”

Neil grinned. “Maybe I came back to grab your cloak. It’s a nice and warm cloak after all.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. Andrew would usually make a- Andrew! 

He turned around to see Andrew still lying on the other side, bleeding from both his arm and his head now. Kevin sprinted over, followed by Neil. 

Luckily, Andrew was still breathing. Less lucky, it was shallow and uneven, meaning no good at all.

Kevin wanted to cry, but he had to safe Andrew first. Or at least try to.

“Do you have any medicine?” he asked Neil. “Anything.”

“I don’t think that will help Ke-”

“I don’t care!” Kevin shouted. “I need it!”

“Kevin!” Neil shouted back. “Just look!”

He pointed to a set of flowers Kevin hadn’t even noticed before. They looked like white lilies, except for the fact these glowed golden and had golden nectar dripping down.

“The Lilies of Life,” Neil whispered, clarifying what Kevin was looking at.

Kevin understood, hurried over, undid his white gloves and caught some of the nectar. Then, carefully, he brought it over to Andrew, who had been laid in a more comfortable position by Neil.

Slowly, he let the drops fall into Andrew’s mouth. Then they waited. And waited. And waited.

Neil looked at Kevin, a little remorse, but all Kevin could think was: How will I ever explain this to mom and dad?

Tears started falling out of Kevin’s eyes, but then Andrew stirred, coughed and shuddered. Opening his eyes, Andrew growled and cursed, but Kevin was too happy to care about Andrew cursing.

The jab in his arm started to heal, Andrew was alive and Kevin was so happy, he hugged Andrew immediately, causing the other boy to cough even harder and tell Kevin to stop since he’s killing him.

Andrew then noticed Neil sitting next to him, smiling a little. “Ah, the junkie decided to show up.”

“Hey, I did save your lives and defeated that knight!” Neil protested.

“Didn’t see it, so it didn’t happen.”

“You were unconscious,” Kevin explained, but he knew it was hopeless. Andrew could be really stubborn if he wanted to. If he wanted to use the energy to be stubborn.

Which seemed to be the case with Neil with them, who was glaring daggers at Andrew now. 

“The Topaz!” Kevin suddenly remembered, and he ran over to Gorl.

He grabbed the sword, but when he looked at the armor, he couldn’t find a body. He frowned.

“Hey guys? Look at this.”

Andrew and Neil came over, Andrew a little wonky, but on his feet again. They looked at the corpseless armor.

“Hm,” Andrew hummed. “Now would you look at that.”

“Could it be that the knight was just a set of armor?”

“He used to be a person, so I think his body decayed but his will and lust for the Lilies of Life kept him going,” Andrew said. “So, in a way, he already was immortal, with no need for those lilies.”

“Speaking of...” 

Neil ran towards the Lilies of Life, with a tiny bottle. He caught a few drops, but then the Lilies withered again and stopped blooming, seeming dead. Neil seemed a little disappointed, but he looked into his bottle and smiled again.

“It might not be much,” he said, “but it will help safe a life someday.”

Kevin smiled and showed the other two the Topaz he got out of the hilt. Both looked at it in awe.

“So that’s what you were looking for? A gem?” Neil asked.

“Not just a gem,” Kevin huffed. “It’s the Topaz, from the Belt of Deltora, not to confuse with the book. It supposedly calms and soothes the mind and can open the door into the spirit world.”

Kevin wanted to continue his lecture, but Neil had already grabbed the Topaz and looked at it in awe. Then his eyes turned glassy and the gem started to glow really bright.

_ Neil had no idea where he was. All he knew was that Andrew and Kevin were just there, and then they were not and the cave disappeared into the mists surrounding him._

_From a distance, he heard a familiar voice call his name, but when he looked around, he saw no-one._

_“Neil!” In front of him appeared his mother, looking as he remembered her: with wild, brown hair, fierce, green eyes and a strong jawline, none of which he inherited from her._

_He had only inherited her shortness, which sucked, but Neil wasn’t bothered right now._

_“Mother?” His voice was squeaky again, and when he looked down, he recognized his clothes as the ones he wore when he was seven; the brown leggings, the green shirt and no shoes, to blend in the environment._

_“Yes Neil, it’s me you dingus.” She hit him silently on his head, and then sighed. “I’m happy to see you’re still alive, after I told you to run. You’ve grown.”_

_Neil smiled at her and hugged her, crying silently. For once, his mother actually let him, which surprised Neil as much as it surprised her._

_“We don’t have much time,” she said, shoving him off again. “Listen, I know I told you to stay low and keep out of trouble, but your destiny lies elsewhere, and even if I tell you to stay put, you will probably follow them anyways, thanks to the bird and that mouse you’re keeping.”_

_“Matt’s not a mouse!”_

_“Whatever, my point is, it’s your destiny to go with those two.” She probably meant Andrew and Kevin. “Help them in their quest, because they will need it.”_

_“Will you be there with me?” Neil asked._

_His mother huffed. “I have no choice but to watch over you! How else can I rest? I need to know you’re okay!” She hugged him again. “Go with them, but be careful. Being dead sucks.”_

_“Okay.”_

_“Bye Neil.” Her voice echoed and faded away, just like the mist and her appearance. _

“Neil?” Andrew waved in front of Neil’s crying eyes.

Neil blinked and looked up, still crying. Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“I saw my mother,” Neil said softly, giving the Topaz, which had stopped glowing, back to Kevin. He wiped his tears away. “She told me to go with you guys.”

“What?” Both Andrew and Kevin said.

“She told me it was my destiny to go with you two.” Neil grinned, even though his eyes were still watery and red. “She said you will need my help.”

“We don’t need some forest junkie’s help,” Andrew said, crossing his arms.

“Well, do you want to go against my dead mother’s wishes?” Neil shrugged, still smiling. “I don’t. Besides, you guys seem like fun, so I guess I’m just compelled to go.”

“Neil?” Kevin asked. And then, when Neil looked at him: “Are you okay?”

Neil shrugged. “I’m fine.”

Dan cawed and Matt squeaked. It sounded like disapproval.

Kevin let it slide and put off the Belt, to put the Topaz in the first slot. Neil looked at it.

“So that’s what the magical thing around your middle was.”

Kevin had forgotten Neil was able to feel magic. He nodded. “It’s the Belt of Deltora, the thing that will eventually defeat the Shadowlord and banish all evil from Deltora. If the true heir to the throne, Adin’s kin, puts it on when we have collected all seven of the gems, the Shadowlord will be defeated and Deltora will be free once more.”

“Who says the heir wants to free Deltora? Maybe he wants to let the Shadowlord do as he pleases since it doesn’t matter to him anyways.” Neil raised his eyebrow, smirking.

Kevin shot him a foul look, but Andrew just rolled with his eyes.

“We’ll see when we get there. Let’s first get all of the gems,” he said.

“Sir yes sir!” Neil said mockingly. “Where do we go next?”

“The Lake of Tears is closest.”

“Pardon?” Neil shook his head. “No. There’s no way I’m going there!”

Andrew smiled mockingly. “Oh? But I thought your mother said it was your des-ti-ny.” 

“Don’t you have any idea where it is?”

Kevin looked at the map. “It’s close to Raladin, where the Ralads live.”

“It’s in the middle of that wicked witch Lola’s territory,” Neil said, heated. “And trust me, you don’t want to get into her territory.”

“Well, we kind of have no choice.” Andrew put the map away and crossed his arms. “Besides, what can one sorceress do against the three of us.”

Dan cawed and Matt yipped. 

“Five actually, but that’s not the point.” Neil sighed. “I get why my mother wanted me to come with you.” He shot them a foul look. “You’re the least careful and preserving persons I have ever met.”

“Which says actually nothing, since you have not met that much people here,” Andrew said.

Neil glared daggers again. Kevin sighed. He had no idea how he was going to survive them fighting all the time, but he was happy to have Neil, Dan and Matt on their team. The more, the merrier, he guessed.

As far as you could be merry with two of your group-members fighting the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the first book! Yes I know, that's really quick, but don't forget the first Deltora consists of eight books and well, the anime covered those in 52 episodes and I'm going to do it in even less, following the anime closer (it's also where I got the chapter titles from) so the first book has been rounded up in three chapters.  
Ironic, isn't it? Neil being the one saying the other two are stupidly reckless. I wonder how long it will take him to become his dumb, reckless, martyr-self...  
Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed reading so far and see you next chapter!
> 
> (PS: if I miss any trigger warnings, just tell me please! I didn't know for sure if this chapter needed any, since in my opinion nothing is too graphic, but I could be wrong of course.)


	4. The Enigmatic Giant

A few days later, the five of them are taking shelter under the roof of an abandoned house, not daring to enter it since there was a chance they were trespassing after all and the owners are just gone shopping or something.

Andrew and Neil were bickering if Matt were a mouse or not, and both Kevin and Matt were done with their banter already. They seemed at each other’s throat for almost everything, which exhausted Kevin. He wondered when he would snap and tell them to cut it out, but decided it wouldn’t be today.

The next day, Neil was awfully quiet and reserved, which gave Kevin some rest since he also didn’t fight with Andrew, who ignored the other boy after some time.

“Guys, can we stop for a bit?” Neil then asked.

“Why? Do your feet hurt?” Andrew asked.

Kevin glared at him and looked at Neil curiously, who was holding and petting Dan. 

The raven had also gone quiet for some reason, but Kevin was sure it would be clarified soon enough anyways.

“We’re nearing Lola’s territory.” Neil looked Dan in the eye. “Which means you have to go.”

This resulted in another one-sided conversation Andrew and Kevin heard much over the days. Neil talking to Matt or Dan, them reacting and since neither Andrew nor Kevin understood, them only hearing Neil’s reaction to that and just guessing what Dan or Matt were saying.

This time it was obvious though: Neil wanted Dan to go and Dan refused.

“Come on! You know what Lola does with ravens!” Neil pleaded.

“What does she do with ravens?” Kevin asked, a little scared.

“She eats them,” Neil said. “Which is why you have to go Dan!”

Dan cawed again, flapping her wings but not flying away.

Neil groaned. “Fine! But you have to stay close and fly low, got it? Just until we’re out of Lola’s territory. Promise me.”

Apparently Dan promised, because Neil sighed, let her go and she flew low and close to Neil from then on.

Both Andrew and Kevin kept out of it, but were a little more worried about this Lola now. She managed to frighten Neil, which had to mean something, since he didn’t even blink while killing Gorl and even laughed at Kevin when he had said the Wennbar must be the scariest monster in the Forests of Silence. But then again, Neil had grown up in those Forests, so maybe they didn’t scare him that much anymore.

They continued their journey until they came across a bridge, which marked the beginning of Lola’s territory.

They stood in front of it for some time.

“Well, why are we still standing here?” Andrew asked, stepping forward.

Then, a giant appeared in front of him, almost jumping on Andrew’s toes. He was at least twice as tall as Kevin, which meant he had to be huge to both Neil and Andrew, who were tiny already and would kick Kevin if he ever told them or even mentioned it.

The giant looked a little weird, with a brown-orange skin, large, golden eyes to the sides of his face instead of up front and a beak-like nose. His brown hair only covered the middle of his head, as the rest of his body was bald. On his ankles, there was a golden band, but Kevin was most disturbed by this giant’s eyes and skin.

“Good afternoon travelers!” The giant greeted them.

“At least he’s polite,” Neil pointed out, whispering.

“I am the guardian of this bridge, who is doomed to stay here until truth and lies become one.”

Kevin frowned. Truth and lies become one? When will they ever become one?

“So you’re cursed,” Andrew concluded.

“Yes. I will give you a riddle, and if you’ve answered correctly, you can cross the bridge and enter Lola’s territory, though there are not many that want to. If you answer incorrectly, I will have to kill you.”

Kevin clenched his jaw. They had to cross the bridge, but what if the riddle was too hard? Did they all get a chance or is it a group-decision? 

Before Kevin could even utter a letter of his concerns, Neil stepped forward and pointed at the giant.

“Your don’t scare me; I’ve seen squirrels more frightening than you. So let me hear those riddles of yours, they can’t be all that hard. I mean, you made them after all.”

Andrew slapped his forehead, while Kevin froze, wide-eyed and with open jaw. Did he just call the giant… stupid? Kevin shook his head. That idiot.

The giant looked amused however, grinning widely. “Okay, I take you as my first contestant.”

He snapped his fingers and a giant hourglass appeared next to him. They all saw it might seem big, but is does not cover much time. 

Then five sticks appeared in front of Neil, clattering in front of his feet. 

“Here’s the riddle: change five to three, without removing any sticks.” The giant snapped his fingers again. The sand in the hourglass started to move down. “You have until the sand reached the bottom. Tick tock.”

Neil just stared at the wooden sticks. The sand continued to build up in the hourglass, and Kevin was itching to help.

Strangely enough it was Andrew who stepped up and tried to get to Neil, but the giant stopped him with his giant sword, which Kevin had kind of missed when he was looking at his disturbing eyes. 

“These riddles are individual riddles, so you cannot help or take over.”

“I’m fine!” Neil chirped from behind him. “Don’t worry, I got this.”

He looked at the sticks intently and started muttering to himself. The sand was almost at its end, but then Neil shrieked in joy.

“I got it!”

In front of him lay the five sticks, in the form of a three: three sticks horizontal with two sticks laying vertical between those three. Neil looked really happy, but then the giant put his sword on his throat.

The giant smiled wickedly. “You are correct! You may now cross the bridge.” He stepped aside, letting Neil pass through.

Neil sighed in obvious relief and smiled at the other two before crossing the small bridge.

The giant turned to Andrew. “Since you were so eager to be put to the test, let’s give you the next riddle.”

Andrew just shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“Good.” The giant smiled. “What do beggars have, rich men need and the dead eat?”

He snapped, but Andrew knew the answer already.

“Nothing,” he said, just when a grain of sand had reached the bottom.

Both Kevin and the giant stared at him for some time.

“You are correct,” the giant then said. “You too may pass.”

Andrew nodded to Kevin, as a silent support, and crossed the bridge to go stand next to Neil.

“Why did you find the riddle you were given so difficult?” he asked the other boy.

Neil shrugged. “I have never learned how to read or write, but I was mostly just staring at the five sticks in panic, since I had no idea how to not-remove at least two. Then it occurred to me numbers are written down too, since I had seen those on things the Grey Guards carried with them. So I figured I needed to use one of those, but jogging my memory went slower than I had thought in the first place, so it took me some time to find something you needed five lines for.”

Andrew didn’t say anything. He also didn’t mention you could make both ‘2’ and ‘5’ with five sticks as well, which meant Neil also got lucky.

Kevin felt confident, since the other two could also solve these riddles. The giant smirked.

“For you something special. I will sing you a song, twice, and you need to solve it.”

Before Kevin could utter his confusion, the giant began to sing: 

     Sorceress Lola gulps her favorite food,  
In her cave with all her brood.  
And the names of the children are:  
Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod,  
Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod, Pik, Snik,  
Lun, Lod and of course the dreaded Ichabod.  
Each child holds a slimy toad.  
On each toad squirm two fat grubs.  
On each grub ride two fleas brave.  
Here is my riddle and so beware.  
Answer this riddle now, if you dare.  
How many things are living in Lola’s cave?

    

The giant sang it again and then snapped his fingers. The hourglass turned again and Kevin’s time went in. To remember it better, Kevin decided to sing it too.

     Sorceress Lola gulps her favorite food,  
In her cave with all her brood.  
And the names of the children are:  
Hot, Tot, Jin, Jod,  
Fie, Fly, Zan, Zod, Pik, Snik,  
Lun, Lod and of course the dreaded Ichabod.  
Each child holds a slimy toad.  
On each toad squirm two fat grubs.  
On each grub ride two fleas brave.  
Here is my riddle and so beware.  
Answer this riddle now, if you dare.  
How many things are living in Lola’s cave?

    

Neil started snorting when he did, and Andrew barely kept it together too. Kevin glared at them. His singing wasn’t that bad. He was just a little out of practice.

“His singing’s so bad,” Neil laughed. “I heard crows sing prettier than Kevin could.”

This caused Andrew to snort, but Kevin decided to scold them later. He first had to do a math-problem.

“One hundred and four,” Kevin said. “The answer is-”

Neil shook his head furiously, causing Andrew to be confused as well.

Then Kevin remembered he needed to add Lola to it as well. “Oh no! One hundred and five! The answer is one hundred and five, since you do thirteen times two, again times two and again times two and then add one!” Kevin looked smug, but when he saw Neil still shake his head, he started to doubt himself.

But it was true! Thirteen times two is twenty-six, times two is fifty-two, times two is one hundred and four, and when you add one, it’s one hundred and five. He had to be right.

“Your answer is...” The giant used a dramatic pause. “Wrong. The answer is one hundred and six.”

“That’s not possible!” Kevin protested. “I'm sure my calculations were right! What’s the last living creature?”

“Lola’s favorite food: a raven-” the giant gestured as if he held a bird in his hand and held it above his mouth, making it clear he tried to enact eating it, “-alive and whole.”

Kevin shuddered. No wonder Neil wanted Dan to leave.

“How was I supposed to know that!” Kevin said, while the giant grabbed his sword.

The giant shrugged. “Your friend knew.”

Neil clasped Dan closer, who cawed in annoyance. Oh he knew alright. It was how Dan had lost her parents; they got ensnared in one of Lola’s traps and eaten.

The giant smiled. “But you know what? I’ll give you another riddle.”

The entire group sighed in relief. Andrew put his knives back and crossed his arms, waiting for Kevin to solve this one.

“I’ll give you one chance to say something. If it’s true, I’ll strangle you with my arms, if it’s false, I will behead you with my sword.”

Kevin sputtered. “That’s no riddle!”

“I’m giving you a chance to choose how you want to die. It’s as generous as I can get.” But the giant’s smile said otherwise.

Andrew grabbed his knives again, and before Neil could stop him, he tried to cross the bridge, and found himself unable to.

“It’s magic,” Neil said. And when Andrew tried to cut the ropes holding the structure up: “Who knows what will happen when you do that! Think rationally Andrew!”

Andrew scoffed, but did nothing. If only he had thought to bring a bow.

Kevin bit his lip. Something true or something false; would he rather die by being strangled or by having his head cut off?

Neil and Andrew thought too, but both of other things. Neil was wondering if what he thought of to say would work, while Andrew was wishing he knew how to make a bow and if he could maybe just wing it.

Just when Neil was about to say something, Kevin’s back straightened. He removed his hand from his middle, where he had touched the Topaz, and pointed it at the giant.  
“You will use your sword to kill me.”

It fell silent. Even the birds didn’t chirp, though that could also very much be because there were no birds, as they were probably all eaten by Lola, Neil thought shivering.

Andrew in the meantime congratulated Kevin for being smart once in his life, even if he had cheated by using the Topaz to clear his mind and blah-blah. He did it, he said something that could result in his release.

The giant screamed, but that scream quickly turned into the shriek of a large eagle. The giant was gone, but the eagle had his eyes, though they seemed more appropriate on the bird’s head.

The eagle took off and tells Kevin he’s in his debt, since Kevin released him from his curse. Kevin is stunned, but waves the giant eagle goodbye and joins his friends.

“That has to be the most intelligent thing I have ever heard you say,” Andrew said, which was ‘Andrew’ for: ‘I’m glad you’re okay’.

Kevin smiled. “Well, with that out of our way, shall we continue our quest?”

Neil nodded, smiling a little forced. Kevin understood however. They were in Lola’s territory now, which meant danger was lurking around at every corner and Dan was in extra danger, since Lola liked to eat ravens, alive and whole apparently.

Kevin hoped they wouldn’t meet sorceress Lola in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** Neil in the chapter before:** 'Guys, we need to be careful, and you are clearly trying to kill yourself so I have to help you stay alive!'  
** Neil this chapter:** Immediately challenges a giant who had just threatened to kill them if they couldn’t solve his riddles.  
** Andrew and Kevin:** ???????? U stupid??
> 
> Also: I know the riddles in the book are different, but as you've read this chapter, I plotted it that Neil cannot read, as his mother did not deem that as a necessary survival skill and therefore just didn't bother with it, but he does have a great memory (no photographic memory though, even though Jasmine has; that trait already belongs to Andrew), so I used the riddle from the anime for Neil. I also made the giant sing the third riddle instead of just recite the poem, because the song is way more fun (and catchy; once you've heard it, it WILL be engraved in your brain until you die and every time you think about it, it WILL return and be sung in your head). To be honest though, I always thought Barda's riddle from the anime was... weird. But oh well, they wanted something visual I guess.  
(I just realized this might sound weird to people who haven't read the Deltora-series, or seen the anime, but I just like rambling, so don't mind me if you're confused by this)
> 
> SO. Thanks for reading and see you in two weeks with the next chapter!


	5. Nij and Doj's Trap

They made a camp not too far from the road, tired of that day. All they had done was walk, except for Andrew and Neil, who somehow still had the energy to bicker. All Kevin wanted to do was sleep and be done with the day, but who could sleep with those two almost at each other’s throats? 

Then, all of a sudden, they both stopped. Kevin looked up, surprised, to see Neil and Andrew look at the road intently. Their fire was out, so there probably was trouble.  
Silently, Kevin joined them, only to see a small group of Grey Guards sitting there. Kevin knew why they were silent now.

The Grey Guards made a fire and sat down to eat. Neil pointed to a tree, where none other than a Ralad was tied up to.

Kevin gasped. A Ralad? He loved Ralads! They helped to built the Del castle, genius architects, really strong and also good with music. Ralads were the most shy of the Seven Tribes, so the other Tribes didn't really know about them, but Kevin really liked Ralads.

Andrew gestured him to be silent, but Kevin had to tell them he wanted to safe the Ralad.

“We have to help him,” Kevin whispered, gesturing to the tiny, frail man with blond hair, blue-grey skin and big, brown eyes.

“How?” Neil asked.

Kevin didn’t know. Or at least, he didn’t know any specifics.

“Just… distract the Guards,” he decided. “Then I’ll get the Ralad.”

Neil and Andrew exchanged glances. Neil frowned, as if he was wondering why he exchanged glances with Andrew and Andrew just shrugged.

The plan – if there was one – was simple: distract the Guards, grab the Ralad, run. The only problem was its simplicity; there was no structure, no-one knew who did what and even though Neil did a splendid job of distracting the Guards using Matt and Dan to make sure he wouldn’t get hit by a Blister, this meant Andrew was part of Kevin’s group now and stood watch while Kevin tried to explain the Ralad they were his friends – or at least not his enemies – and came to safe him. Meaning he was the first to spot the trouble and sigh really, really loud.

A few moments later they were running for their lives with Grey Guards following them and Kevin having a trembling Ralad om his back, while Andrew was cursing at Neil for turning back without losing the Grey Guards he was supposed to distract.

“I thought you were gone already!” Neil said, dodging another Blister as Matt shrieked. 

“Well obviously not!” Andrew said. “Stupid forest junkie.”

“Stop bickering and start gaining distance!” Kevin yelled at them.

Neil huffed and turned around, and stopped running.

“You idiot!” Andrew yelled, and also stopped, but then he frowned.

Kevin stopped as well to see what was going on, which was nothing. There were no more Grey Guards behind them. Not even an indication they once were there.

“Huh?” he said. “They’re gone!”

“We have eyes Kevin,” Andrew said. “The question is: why?”

The Ralad on his back tapped Kevin on the shoulder. Kevin sat him down and looked at him curiously, while Andrew and Neil joined them to see what the Ralad man was doing.

The Ralad had grabbed a branch and started writing in the sand of the forest floor, but neither Neil nor Kevin understood those symbols.

“His name is Jeremy,” Andrew said, looking intently at the scribbling. “He’s from Raladin.”

“You can speak Ralad?” Kevin asked. Even though he liked them, he never tried to learn their language, since it’s supposed to be really difficult.

“They use the same language as us when they speak, but they write differently, and yes, I studied some in my free time. I cannot translate perfectly though.”

Jeremy wrote some more, which Andrew translated as good as he could.

“His people were cursed by… Lola to stop speaking, and he was send to Del to ask the… king and queen for… help.” Andrew looked to Jeremy. “They’re gone. They’ve been for sixteen years, and before that they were under the Shadowlord’s control anyways, so they wouldn’t have been able to help you.”

Jeremy seemed down by this, causing Kevin to scold Andrew for being so tactless.

“Why don’t you rest while we get something to eat?” Neil then suggested to Jeremy. “You look tired.”

Jeremy shook his head, and wrote something else.

Andrew shrugged. “This is just one sentence, and it has to do with watching out for quicksand and something else, but I don’t recognize that symbol.”

“We’ll be fine,” Neil said. “I promise.”

Jeremy shook his head again, but Neil just smiled and got up, giving Jeremy Matt.

“Watch over him, okay?” Neil said, not clearing up who he was talking to.

The trio disappeared in the forest, looking for some berries or maybe an animal they could hunt, but they didn’t find anything. 

“What’s that?” Neil asked after some time, pointing to a small house they stumbled into.

“That’s a house. People live in there,” Andrew said. 

“I know that,” Neil said, rolling his eyes. “I meant: what’s it doing here?”

“Some people like living in the middle of the forest, where it’s quiet and no-one bothers them.”

“And you are people?”

“Who said that?”

“Can you guys stop?” Kevin said. “I found a sign.”

Neil couldn’t read it of course, so he looked at the other two for answers.

“It says ‘Ring and Enter’,” Andrew said. 

Kevin rang the bell.

“Why did you do that?” Neil asked. 

“Maybe they have some food we can buy from them?”

Before Neil could answer however, an old, tiny couple came out the house, smiling.

“Hello!” Kevin said, waving. “We have a question!”

The couple didn’t seem to hear him. They just stood there, smiling.

“I don’t trust it,” Neil said. “Something feels… off.”

Kevin stepped closer and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hello?!” 

The elderly couple still just stood there. Kevin stepped closer again, but then the ground beneath him disappeared.

“Kevin!” Andrew shouted, as Kevin started to sink away in the quicksand. 

He grabbed Kevin, but slipped and fell in too, which meant Neil had to help them. He pulled and pulled, but Andrew and Kevin seemed to sink only further, which caused Neil to fall in too.

“Great,” Andrew said. “Now we’re all stuck.”

“Here!” Kevin had found some wood, lying around. “Grab on!”

If they weren’t busy surviving, they would have noticed this sign had words on it too. And that it was the missing part of the sign they had found in front of the quicksand.

The trio tried to stop themselves from sinking, but then they were miraculously saved by the elderly couple, who had thrown a rope their way.

They grabbed it and pulled themselves out, panting on the side.

“Efas era yeht!” The woman said happily, confusing the trio.

“Taem hserf! Taem hserf!” The man chanted.

Kevin smiled at them. “Hello. Uh, we are three travelers… Do you understand me?”

The elderly couple nodded. The woman then gestured to herself: “Nij.” and then to the man: “Doj.”

“What lovely names,” Neil said softly, rubbing over his arms and looking uncomfortable.

“Yrgnuh era ew,” Doj said, pinching in Neil’s arm, who stepped away from him.

They gestured the trio to follow them and entered their house. Kevin, Andrew and Neil looked at each other.

“I don’t trust this,” Neil says. “Something’s wrong.”

“We kind of have no choice,” Kevin said, following the couple inside.

Andrew had to grudgingly agree with Neil, but followed Kevin and Nij and Doj nonetheless.

“Dan!” Neil said.

Dan cawed.

“Stay here, okay?”

Dan told him to be careful and promised to stay outside and wait for him to return. Then Neil followed the other two, who were being stuffed in a large blanket and got presented with tea.

“Retaw liob,” Nij told Doj, who nodded, smiled at Neil and went into the kitchen Neil had just walked through.

Kevin then complimented Nij on her house interior, since it looked pretty, and Nij giggled, before giving Neil a cup of tea too.

“Eh, no thank you.” Neil tried to smile politely.

Nij insisted though, almost holding it against his lips herself, causing Neil to accept it anyways and go stand with Andrew and Kevin, who looked cozy in their blankets.

Nij dropped one over his shoulders as well, causing him to startle and drop his tea.

“Sorry,” Neil apologized, quickly thinking of an excuse. “I’m a little tired I think.”

Nij smiled even wider. “Reverof peels nac uoy noos.”

It sounded reassuring, so Neil smiled and thanked her, receiving another cup.

Kevin shook his head and put his free arm in his side, but before he could scold Neil for being so ungrateful and clumsy, he froze up.

The lovely home that had been there before, had turned into a dump and Nij had turned from a lovely old lady into a monster Kevin couldn’t even describe the ugliness of. 

“Fresh meat soon! Fresh meat soon!” she said, before waving at them and going into the kitchen, where Doj repeated her chant.

“Kevin?” Andrew had raised his eyebrow. 

Kevin put the tea down and let go of his middle, where he was touching the Topaz.

“Do not drink the tea,” he said. “Something’s up.”

“I knew it!” Neil hissed, but Kevin ignored it and grabbed his and Andrew’s hand to put them on the Topaz, showing them what he saw and heard now.

“It’s been so long since we had fresh meat!” Doj said, with his slimy voice.

“We’re the meat,” Kevin said. “They must have done something with our drinks, since they were so intent on us drinking it.”

Then Kevin realized something, just as Andrew opened his mouth.

“Their language,” they said simultaneously.

Neil looked at them weirdly. “Never do that again.”

Andrew huffed. “They speak backwards. Meat backwards is taem, and they had it about taem when they had just pulled us out of the quicksand.”

“So it was all a trap,” Neil said. “Great. I knew something was wrong.”

“Problem is, how do we get out?” Kevin looked at the other two, a little hopeless. “They are huge monsters.”

“And called Jin and Jod instead of Nij and Doj,” Neil said. “If we use the same logic for their sentences.”

Andrew swore. “They’re Lola’s children.”

Kevin sighed. As if he needed more reason to be afraid. But they had no time to talk. They had to act, somehow.

“So knocking them out is out of the question.” Neil looked around. “And all I see is this impossibly high and tiny window as an escape-route out of this room. We need to go through the kitchen.”

“We can try taking them by surprise,” Andrew said, unsheathing his knives.

“I don’t-” Neil stopped in the middle of his sentence. “They’re coming.”

He dropped to the ground and pretended to sleep, and Andrew and Kevin followed his example. Jin and Jod came in and started giggling.

“They drank it all,” Jin said. “Even the redhead.”

“A feast!” Jod said. “It’s been so long...”

They left again, but the trio didn’t stop pretending until they were sure the siblings didn’t come back again.

“We won’t have long,” Andrew whispered. “They think they can go and cook us, so I suggest we fight them when they come back.”

Neil opened his mouth – probably to disagree with Andrew’s plan – but then a familiar bell rung. 

Jin and Jod got outside, excited to get more meat. They looked at each other and nodded. This might be their only chance at escaping.

They got up and snuck out, as silent as possible. Neil was way better at that than both Kevin and Andrew, but he had experience with it from growing up in a forest.

When they got outside and saw who had rung the bell, they all froze. It was Jeremy, with Matt on his shoulder.

Kevin’s eyes got big. “Don’t cross Jeremy! It’s a trap!”

“Way to go genius, now they’ve notices our escape,” Andrew said while Jin and Jod turned around and screamed: “They’re escaping! Grab them!”

So they had to run, but then they bumped into a little problem. The entire house was surrounded by the quicksand, something both Andrew and Kevin didn’t get.

“Their mother or siblings or they themselves have to get in and out sometime right?” Kevin said.

“Of course they do,” Andrew said. “But how?”

Neil turned around to see the duo catching up to them, so he stopped running to throw a rock at them. This action made Neil notice Jod’s pitchfork too late, meaning the moment he tried to run again, he got hit in his arm. 

“Ow!” Neil said, grabbing his arm and getting blood on his hands. “Watch where you throw those!”

Andrew and Kevin turned around, ran back and stood between him and Lola’s monstrous children, knowing their only option was to fight. Kevin gritted his teeth, not liking their odds. Not only were Jin and Jod way bigger, they also looked like they could throw a lot of mean punches. Also, they might have inherited some of their mother’s magic, since they were able to create an illusion to fool travelers into trusting them. 

Then Jin and Jod were hit by rocks on their backs, causing them to turn around, grumbling.

It was Jeremy again, but this time on the island without wet or dirty feet and pants. How, Kevin didn’t know, since as far as he knew Ralads were not able to walk on quicksand, but then Jeremy pointed to something behind them, while Andrew helped Neil clench a cloth around his cut.

There, Kevin saw a button. How he had missed it, Kevin didn’t know, but it must be the thing that allowed Jin and Jod to go across the quicksand without dying. Now they only had to think of a way to make sure Jin and Jod couldn’t follow them.

“Come on!” He yelled to the other two, and ran to the button.

When he pressed it, he saw a part of the quicksand light up. Andrew tested it, and he didn’t sink away. It made some type of bridge.

“We have to lure them in and make them fall into their own trap,” Andrew said. "Otherwise they'll just chase us through the forest."

“But how?” Kevin asked.

“I’ll distract them and get them to follow me across,” Neil offered.

“You don’t need to play the martyr again Neil,” Andrew said, while Jeremy joined them after tripping up Jin and Jod, who got up and started coming after them.

Dan cawed, telling them to hurry along.

“I’m the fastest, so I can easily buy you enough time to get across and get there on time myself,” Neil said, grabbing his knife. “Just go!”

Before either Kevin or Andrew could protest again, he sprinted forward and hit Jod in his hand with his knife.

Kevin dragged Andrew along, who was cursing at a certain idiot, and along with Jeremy, they got across.

“Neil!” Kevin shouted. “Get out of there!”

But Neil was a little preoccupied with a big ugly monster that looked like… Oh. It was Jin and Jod combined to one big monster, and Neil was with his back to the house and panting. And his arm didn’t look great either.

Andrew wanted to run back, but Jin/Jod already took a swing, so he’d never be in time. That’s when Dan showed up and hit Jin/Jod in one of their eyes.

Jin/Jod screamed, clenched their eye and slammed Dan right out of the sky.

Neil took this moment to run away, grab Dan from the ground and ran over the bridge, while Kevin had his hand hovering over the knob.

Jin/Jod followed, swearing revenge and that Dan would be given to their mother.

“Press it now!” Andrew screamed to Kevin, and smashed on Kevin’s hand.

Neil jumped and almost landed in the quicksand, but Andrew grabbed him and dragged him towards him while Kevin made sure he caught the two of them. 

And not a moment too soon. Jin/Jod had almost reached their side, but now they were stuck in the middle and sinking away fast, since they were really big and heavy.

Neil rolled off Andrew and panted a lot. Jeremy looked concerned, but Neil smiled and told them he was fine, making Andrew roll his eyes again and Kevin wonder if Neil knew the meaning of ‘fine’.

“Oh Dan,” Neil then said, hugging the unconscious bird in his arms. “You saved me.”

Andrew scoffed, but didn’t comment. Of course the forest junkie didn’t mention Andrew catching him before he got stuck in the quicksand anyways.

Neil sat up, ruffled in his sachet hanging on his hip and grabbed the bottle with the nectar from the Lilies of Life and poured a drop on Dan’s feathers.

Not too long after that, Dan’s eyes opened and she cawed, sitting up and spreading her wings. Matt yipped, sounding happy, and Neil smiled, before putting the nectar away again and grabbing a bottle with some blue substance.

“Uh,” Kevin said. “Why aren’t you using the nectar?”

Neil shook his head, while Andrew rolled his eyes.

“We better use the nectar in situations someone’s life really is in danger, not for some stupid idiot’s scrapes and bruises.”

Neil shot Andrew an angry look, but didn’t comment and put the blue stuff on his cut, hissing.

Jeremy smiled at him and offered to help him, by gesturing what he wanted to do. Neil let him, and in a few moments his arm was treated and had bandages to make sure it wouldn’t get dirty.

Then Jeremy scribbled some more on the ground, and Andrew translated.

“He says he used to be their… slave. Knew about the button, it was how he escaped probably, but he then ran into… I guess that means Grey Guards, because they had him when we found him.” Andrew observed some other figures too. “Oh, and he’s offering to bring us to Raladin.”

“That would be great!” Kevin said. “That’s close to the Lake of Tears!”

Jeremy got a little pale. He scribbled one figure, but this was a figure both Andrew and Kevin recognized. It was a question mark, probably asking them why.

“We can’t tell you,” Kevin said, knowing both Neil and Andrew supported this decision. “But I can tell you it’s important and will be for the best of all of Deltora.”

Jeremy thought for some time. Then he wrote something else down.

“He offers to be our guide,” Andrew said, looking at the other two. “To the Lake.”

Kevin shook his head, but Neil seemed to consider it.

“No way, it’s too dangerous!” Kevin said.

“Jeremy seems to be very capable of taking care of himself,” Neil said. “And it might come in handy to have a guide.”

“I hate to say this,” Andrew said. “But I agree with Neil. So that’s two against one.”

Dan cawed and Matt squeaked.

“Four against one,” Neil corrected Andrew.

“I don’t count animals, since they seem to always vote whatever you vote.” For that, Andrew got pecked by Dan and hissed at by Matt.

Neil laughed. “They don’t, trust me.”

Kevin looked at Jeremy, who looked back, determined. “Are you sure?”

Jeremy nodded, smiling. Kevin sighed.

“Fine,” he said. “But let’s first get to Raladin. Then we’ll see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyaa! Another delightful chapter this week! Yay!  
Before you tell me anything about it; I know Jean would have been an interesting pick for Manus (the Ralad man they encounter, aka Jeremy in this fic), but I didn't really know where I could put Jeremy if I did. And I have way more interesting plans for Jean too, just you wait!  
Besides, Kevin still obsessed over him, didn't he? I like Jeremy as the sunny, non-speaking Ralad man who helps our dynamic trio on their quest.  
Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter and see you in two weeks!  
Lots Of Love <3


	6. The Monster in the Lake of Tears

After a whole day of traveling, the four of them stumbled on a small cabin, near the woods they just came out of. 

They inspected it, declared it safe and made up camp. Neil slouched down on a chair, and removed his bandages to see how his cut was doing. It looked angrily red.

“You should clean that,” Andrew said.

“I know! I know. I’ve done these things before you know?” Neil bit back, and sighed.

Jeremy tapped him on his knee. Neil tilted his head, and Jeremy pointed outside.

There, they found a huge tub, which made Neil frown.

“Um, I don’t actually need that big of a bucket...” he said hesitantly.

“That’s called a bathtub idiot. Did you even wash yourself in that forest of yours?” Andrew said, sizing the tub up and thinking how much water they could need to fill it.

“Of course I did!” Neil said. “In the streams, which is also where my mother learned me how to swim.”

“I applaud to you.”

Before Neil could snap back at Andrew, Jeremy gave him a bucket and pointed to a well, where Kevin had already gone off to, probably to avoid their bickering again.

It took a lot of tries, but eventually they had made a warm bath for Neil to clean himself and his wounds in. 

“If you don’t mind,” Neil then said, “I would like to bathe alone.”

Kevin and Jeremy didn’t question it, but Andrew frowned. He didn’t think Neil would be conscious of his body, especially since he might not know it wasn’t decent to undress in front of other people unless you were really intimate.

“Why?”

“Because I would like to have some privacy,” Neil simply said, glaring at Andrew.

Kevin rolled his eyes, asking himself why Andrew always needed to question Neil’s words and actions, but Jeremy’s eyes lit up.

He made a gesture none of the others understood, but if they would have, it would have made Kevin turn bright red, Andrew scoff and immediately let the subject go because _ no, that wasn’t why he asked and what he meant_, and Neil be even more confused, since he had no idea about that kind of stuff since his mother never taught him about it.

So Jeremy just let it be and dragged Andrew along with him, to the house. Kevin followed, still a little confused and wondering what that gesture meant.

They left Neil alone to bathe, while they prepared the house for dinner and the night.

Neil actually enjoyed this bath way better than he did washing in the streams. It was warm, made his muscles relax and stop aching and it actually helped his cut to stop from hurting so much. Matt also enjoyed this bath, as he was swimming around happily.

“You know Matt?” Neil said, picking Matt up and washing his fur with soap too. “I actually really needed this. And I enjoy this bath way more than our swims in the streams. I hope we can do this more often.”

Matt agreed with him, nuzzling Neil, who laughed. Then he thought about how Andrew had asked him why he wanted to bathe alone exactly, and wondered when he would tell the others about his scars. 

Andrew was searching for more wood in the meantime, while Jeremy and Kevin chatted – which was really one-sided, with Jeremy only nodding and gesturing sometimes and Kevin talking the whole time – and prepared for dinner.

By the time Neil had put his new bandages on and got out of the bath feeling fresh and content, Jeremy and Kevin had some stew brewing and Andrew made the table.

“Whoa,” Kevin said. “Your hair is like… really bright.”

Neil touched his hair, blushing a little. “Well, it was a little dirty before, so I took this moment to, you know, wash it a little.”

“You better not have used all the soap,” Andrew said, staring at the mop of curls on top of Neil’s head, which looked darker now that is was wet of course, but was brighter than when they first met him. ‘A little dirty’ was definitely an understatement.

Jeremy smiled and pointed to his arm. Neil took that as him asking how his wound was doing.

“Much better, thank you Jeremy,” Neil said.

Jeremy grinned and stirred the stew some more.

They ate some and got ready for bed when Kevin found a strange mark in the wood. It looked like a ‘V’, but the ends of the ‘V’ were pointed down again, making it resemble a bird, but only a little.

“What’s that?” Neil asked.

Jeremy wrote it down, but even without that, Andrew would have known.

“It’s the symbol of the Resistance.”

“There’s a Resistance?” Neil frowned a little. 

“Yes,” Kevin said. “Though to be honest I’ve never actually met a member. They supposedly fight against the Shadowlord, but I don’t think they make much progress.”

Jeremy didn’t seem to agree, but they let the subject go when Neil said: “Oh, okay. I guess we’re kind of on the same side then.”

The others agreed and they all went to sleep. 

The next morning, they traveled on, and Neil actually went up to Andrew and walked next to him, making Andrew raise his eyebrow.

“About the reason I wanted to bathe alone,” Neil began. “It’s complicated, but I do think I will tell you one day. Just not today.”

Andrew was surprised Neil brought it up again, since Andrew himself had pretended to have forgotten it, but he nodded. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or like you had to spill all your secrets. I don’t have any more secrets to give you honestly, but I don’t want to force you to tell me something you don’t want to. Take your time, but know me and Kevin are your… well, Kevin is your friend, and we will have to know one day, if it gets in the way.” He looked at Neil a bit before turning his eyes on the road again. “Besides, we already know you’re scrawny with little muscle and body fat.”

“Excuse me?” Neil said. “Why-”

“I mean, as a forest junkie you have only really trained your legs, since you need them to run.”

“I had to swing too, using my romp and arms.”

“Congratulations. I have ended this conversation.” Andrew fell back, making Neil even more confused than before.

They reached a waterfall, blocking their path.

Kevin scratched his head. “I think we need to find a way around it. Do we-”

Jeremy jumped through, shocking the other three. Then Jeremy jumped through again, gestured them to follow and jumped in again.

The trio followed, Neil protecting Matt and Dan by putting them in his shirt. He got wet and shivered all over, wishing he had a cloak like Andrew and Kevin did, but didn’t complain or utter a word about it.

They had entered a long cave, which seemed to lead somewhere. Jeremy excitedly skidded ahead, making the others run after him.

When they came out again, they stopped to take in the incredible view.

Kevin knew the Ralads were known for their beautiful architectures, but hadn’t actually considered how they would make a city. 

Raladin was beautiful. It looked incredible, with its small, white houses and lovely streets and other buildings. But it also was… really, really empty. There was not a living soul down there; even the flowers had withered.

“Where are the people?” Neil asked.

Jeremy got down and started running through the streets, but because he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t call for anyone. Andrew, Kevin and Neil went to him to help, but Jeremy had already given up and sat next to a large, broken fountain, looking incredibly down.

Kevin felt sorry for him, and he sat down next to Jeremy and tried to think of something that would comfort him. Neil hugged Matt and Andrew looked around once more, not feeling comfortable with all of this sadness.

Then Kevin saw a flute, not too far from them, and grabbed it. He knew Ralads loved to play music, so he offered it to Jeremy.

Jeremy looked at it, confused, and then looked at Kevin. He smiled, but Kevin saw it was fake. He smiled back nonetheless and told Jeremy to play a little.

So Jeremy did. And it was beautiful. 

They had no idea what song it was or what it was about, but even Andrew got teary eyes because of it. 

Jeremy played and played until he felt like it was enough and they all sat in silence, mourning the Ralads.

Then Neil heard some other music, but it seemed muffled. He frowned. Where did that music come from? 

Jeremy and Kevin felt the fountain beneath them rumble. They got up, and just in time. The fountain opened up and uncovered a stairway going down, where other Ralads were coming out of, playing on their flutes.

Jeremy’s face immediately lit up. Before the other Ralads were even out, he ran towards them and caught the elder looking Ralad around the neck, hugging him tightly.

The elder hugged him back, just like the other Ralads, who were smiling broadly.

Kevin, Andrew and Neil were perplexed, but happy nonetheless.

They got invited in, to reveal the stairway led to another city, similar to the one above, but this time full with Ralads walking over the streets doing whatever citizens did during any normal day.

Kevin was amazed by everything he saw. If Andrew weren’t dragging him along, he would have stayed put and just looked at everything in awe.

They were invited to stay a few days, as a thanks for getting Jeremy back to them, an offer they gladly took. They celebrated along with the Ralads for Jeremy’s return, and then went to bed.

That was a new experience for Neil too, since he had never slept in a bed before. It took some tossing and turning, and a few insults from Andrew who accused Neil from keeping him from sleeping, but when Neil woke up the next morning, he had to admit he really loved sleeping in a bed and had never slept better.

Kevin tried to drag him out, but nothing was separating Neil from his bed for awhile, so Kevin made Andrew do his magic and in a few minutes, Neil was up and running after Andrew to get his knife back.

“It’s incredibly rude to take other people’s possessions you know?” Neil said, clenching his knife fiercely after he had tackled Andrew and took it back. “And this was my mother’s knife too, so have a little respect.”

“Kevin wants to train with you.”

Neil turned around to face Kevin, who immediately got chills from Neil’s stare.

“So you’re saying I had to get out of bed… to train with you?” Neil smiled sweetly. “Why didn’t you say so? I would have come immediately.”

Kevin had been living with Andrew for all of his life, so he knew sarcasm like no other, but something about Neil’s sweet smile made him think it might also be honesty.

He was wrong. Neil almost crushed him during their spar, showing Kevin he knew how to use his knife really well. 

Unfortunately for Neil, this made Kevin want to spar with him only more, and even got Andrew interested to see it, so he wasn’t freed from this as he had hoped.

So, after a few days, when Neil’s arm had healed up, they told Jeremy they should continue their quest and thanked the Ralads for their hospitality. 

The elder Ralad wrote something down Andrew had to translate again.

“He wants to know where we’re going.”

“The Lake of Tears,” Neil said, and when Kevin gave him a mean look: “They deserve to know where their friend and fellow Ralad is going.”

The Ralads weren’t pleased with this. They shook their heads furiously, crossed their arms and the elder even wrote something down.

“It seems to be a name,” Andrew said, frowning. “Sol… deen. Soldeen.”

The elder scribbled something else down too.

“Yes, we know it’s in the middle of Lola’s territory.” Andrew stood up and looked the elder Ralad in the eye. “But we promise to you we’ll bring Jeremy back alive, whatever it takes.”

Jeremy smiled and nodded to the elder, who sighed and gestured them to go along. He did hug Jeremy before going however, just as the other Ralads did.

“Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?” Kevin asked him when he was done. “It seems like your people don’t want you to go.”

Jeremy nodded and walked on, forcing the other three to hurry up saying goodbye and run after him.

It actually didn’t take that long to get there. Kevin knew they would have gotten there if they’d asked for directions. But since Jeremy was stubborn, they got to the Lake of Tears with four instead of three people.

The lake was in one word: eerie. It was dark, the air was heavy, and the silence was deafening. Not a living soul was nearby, for they were the only ones, it seemed.

“So… This is the Lake of Tears then,” Neil said, holding Matt close.

Andrew and Kevin said nothing, but Jeremy nodded, confirming the obvious.

They walked up to the shore and Andrew stepped into the waters, which were, as suspected, cold. Icy cold, to be exact.

He stepped out again to discuss what they should do, but then the water rippled. Kevin started to walk over to join him, but Andrew held up his hand as a warning.

“Something’s here,” he said softly. “In the water.”

They all stared at the water now, which was still only showing ripples. 

Kevin wondered what was causing those ripples. A monster? The Guardian of whatever gem was laying here? 

They were tense, but even their caution and attention to the water didn’t prepare them for the monster that suddenly jumped out of the water and started moving towards them really fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!  
I'm sorry for uploading late, but I was fighting a fever, violent coughs and a runny nose yesterday and kinda mostly slept and read other fanfictions. As I am feeling a little better now (emphasis on the 'a little'), I just decided to upload it now, without really looking it over or anything; so if there are any mistakes: PLEASE NOTIFY ME! I will not get to them immediately, but I will eventually! When I get better. Whenever the hell that will be.  
Oh, there is one slight remark I'd like to make, regarding the cabin they find at the beginning of the chapter. I know there was supposed to be a Shadowlord's Mark on there, but since Andrew would have nope'd out of there and pulled the others along because of his paranoid and protective nature, Neil wouldn't have had his bath and the conversation with Andrew that followed (muahahahahahha). So that's why I left it out.  
Thanks for reading and see you next chapter! (Which will be FUN ;D)


	7. Sorceress Lola

Kevin let out a yelp of surprise, hauled Andrew out of the water and they all ran further up shore, hoping the monster wouldn’t be able to go on land.

Lucky for them, it couldn’t. Unfortunately, that meant it disappeared into the water again before any of them could actually get a good glimpse of it. 

All they saw was teeth, red eyes and a blue body. When the water had calmed down again, Kevin noticed the Belt was feeling warm, but not warm enough.

“It’s here,” he informed Andrew and Neil. “Just… I think it’s in the Lake of Tears itself.”

“Great,” Andrew said. “How are we going to get past that… thing.”

Jeremy scribbled something in the sands. Andrew shook his head.

“That won’t work.” He turned to the other two. “Jeremy suggested draining the lake, but even if we can get all the resources from Raladin, it would take too long. The monster can easily disrupt it too.”

“Well, we could distract the monster while Kevin got into the lake to take the gem,” Neil suggested. “That could work.”

“Too dangerous.”

“We could make Dan search for the gem while we distract it.”

“Too complicated.”

“It’s a simple plan.”

“But would take too much time,” Andrew pointed out. “Since we have no idea which gem we’re looking for.”

Neil got irritated. “Why don’t you come up with a suggestion then? Instead of criticizing everything we come up with, you can also contribute to the conversation by coming up with ideas of your own. Or is your thick skull to dense to let that come through?”

Andrew huffed and wanted to respond venomously, but Jeremy grabbed his sleeve and tugged at it. He pointed to his flute when Andrew turned around, indicating he could play something.

“Why?” Andrew asked, but Kevin found it a great idea.

“It could calm us down and make us think of a better solution,” Kevin said, wanting to hear more of the beautiful music.

So Jeremy played some more. It was a different song, happier, and it made the trio smile and relax a little.

_Ralads and their architect- and music-skills…_ Kevin thought. _They’re amazing._

Then he saw the full moon illuminating the lake with its pale light and frowned. Full moon… Didn’t that mean something for the… Topaz?

Oh wait, he remembered. At full moon the Topaz would increase in strength with the full moon. Kevin wondered what that meant.

“That was beautiful,” a strange, deep voice said.

The four turned around to see the monster there, head above the water, red eyes glistening in the full moon.

“Who are you?” Neil asked, knife out and ready.

“I am Soldeen, Guardian of this lake, in which I’ve wandered for many of years. You were trying to enter here.” Soldeen tilted his head a little. “I cannot allow that, but now… I might have a proposal.”

Kevin didn’t like this at all, but decided to hear Soldeen out before grabbing his sword. He might have a reasonable request.

“I’d like to have your friend over there, play for me until I grow bored or he dies, and in return, you can enter these waters to do… whatever you wanted to do.”

“Like hell we will!” Kevin said. “We’re never going to give him up!” 

Jeremy clenched his flute, frowning a little. He seemed to actually be considering it. Kevin couldn’t allow it.

In a true Neil-like fashion, Kevin attacked. Neil even called him an idiot, which is saying something. Kevin didn’t care though, and Andrew followed him anyways, so he was fine.  
At least, he was until Soldeen just slapped him aside with one of his fins and hit one of the stones on the shore. Andrew was more lucky, he fell into the water again.

Neil in the meanwhile, was holding Jeremy back, telling him they wouldn’t want him to sacrifice himself for their sake. And again, hearing Neil say that meant something, since he would do the same every chance he got without second thought. Kevin was amazed Neil could know this and still do it. Maybe he was a moron after all, like Andrew likes to say.

“Soldeen!” Kevin shouted. “See reason!” 

The Topaz started to heat up, and suddenly Kevin had an idea. He went up to Soldeen again, feeling the Topaz’s powers grow stronger every passing second, and jumped in front of him.

Soldeen wanted to attack, but Kevin pulled up his shirt, revealing the Belt, with the glowing Topaz on it, around his middle. Soldeen stopped, calmed down even, influenced by the Topaz’s powers.

“Soldeen, listen. We really mean you no harm. Or at least, we won’t if you just let us have what we want to, without giving up our friend. Because there is no way we’re going to do that.” Kevin lowered his shirt again, since it was getting a little breezy. “So please help us. We’ll go again after that and never return to bother you again.”

Soldeen was silent for some time. Then he sighed. “Climb on. I guess you’re looking for something in the middle of my lake.”

Kevin looked at Neil and Andrew, who shrugged and gestured him to go. He climbed on Soldeen’s back and Soldeen brought him to the center of the lake, where a lone statue of a beautiful lady was sitting.

It was a little cracked, but the lady was still sitting there, looking serenely over the lake. It was strange to find a thing of beauty in this place, but Kevin was distracted by the oval gem laying at her feet.

It was pink. Kevin couldn’t remember any of the gems being pink.

Neil and Andrew in the meantime were looking at the far away spots that were Kevin and Soldeen, when Neil shivered. Andrew raised his eyebrow, while Jeremy took Neil’s arm.

“I feel… a strong magic presence nearing.” Neil looked at Kevin and Soldeen again and hoped they would hurry, since he really didn’t like that magic presence.

Kevin was still staring at the weird gem. He picked it up anyways and admired it for a bit more, before climbing back on Soldeen and pondering which gem it could possibly be.

The Topaz was on the Belt already, and golden/orange in color. The Amethyst was purple, the Lapis Lazuli blue, the Opal every color of the rainbow, the Diamond had no color, and the Ruby was red…

_The Ruby!_ Kevin looked at the gem in his hand again, which was still looking pink, as Soldeen reached the shore with his friends again.

He remembered what was written in the Belt of Deltora – which always made Andrew scoff and say it was confusing there were two Belts of Deltora, one being the actual Belt and one being a book – about the Ruby: it grew pale in the presence of evil.

“Watch out Soldeen!” he told the monster. “Something is-”

Kevin didn’t even have the chance to finish his sentence, for he and Soldeen were hit by something and blown away: Kevin fell into the water and lost the Ruby, Soldeen hit one of the cliffs near the lake.

“How dare you,” a female voice said. “How dare you use my servant to get that gem and even enter my territory!”

Kevin sat up and was eye to eye with a blond woman with cruel, blue eyes and slim, beautiful features and body. If she weren’t radiating such hatred, Kevin would actually have been impressed by her front.

“Who are you?” Kevin asked, but then he remembered her saying this was her territory.

Lola smiled. “How cute, he doesn’t even know me. Sorceress Lola, servant of the Shadowlord and a heartbroken mother.” She grabbed Kevin by the throat, making him choke and Neil and Andrew shout his name. “You killed two of my wonderful children, and for that deed, you will pay.”

Kevin was thrown aside, while Andrew threw his knives and Neil ran over to him.

Andrew’s knives didn’t even come close, as they were blocked by some… force-field.

Lola laughed. 

Neil gritted his teeth. “It’s no use. Nothing can get past her shield, which makes her invincible.”

Andrew fell back again, eyeing the sorceress as she stood there, still laughing. 

“Then how do we beat her?” Kevin asked.

“We can’t. The only way she’ll die is if we somehow make a drop of her blood hit the earth, but with an indestructible force-field protecting her, there’s no way to get past.” Neil clenched his knife.

Kevin looked at Lola again, who was eyeing Neil curiously.

“How do you know so much?” she asked.

Neil said nothing. He probably knew because he heard from Dan, or maybe he had heard from the trees, even though there weren’t any around here.

Andrew tried to slice her again despite Neil’s warning and distracted Lola, which made Kevin think he could hit her from behind.

He couldn’t. The force-field was all around her body, and his attempt only made her laugh.

Lola pointed at him and lightning sprung from her fingers, going for Kevin, who cursed and raised his cloak.

Neil and Andrew gasped when the smoke disappeared. Kevin was sill standing there, and his green cloak was glowing. The spell hadn’t done any damage.

Andrew also gasped because he had noticed something important. Lola’s force-field disappeared when she used her magic, probably because it couldn’t get through otherwise. But this was a huge clue, and could help them to destroy her once and for all.

He ran over to the other two, who were still staring at the magic cloak.

“I know a way to destroy Lola,” he told them.

Neil and Kevin looked up, eyes shining determined.

“Her shield disappears whenever she casts a spell, so if we attack and make her use a spell, we can use that opening to throw in a knife or something.” 

“Great idea!” Kevin said, while Neil nodded.

They rose up and charged Lola again, who was being distracted by Dan.

“You look delicious,” she told the bird. “But first I have to get rid of some nuances.”

Neil grew furious and ran faster, jumping at Lola while she turned around.

“How dare you call Dan food!” he said, even though he knew Lola ate ravens.

Andrew rolled his eyes internally. Neil really was a moron sometimes. A forest junkie moron. No, that’s too long.

Lola simply threw him aside with her magic and focused her attention on Kevin, who had his sword pointed at her, determined to pierce through her shield.

Kevin knew the spell was coming, but he still wasn’t prepared when it actually hit him, sending him all the way to Jeremy, who was watching over Matt at the shore and came over, looking concerned and scared. 

Andrew threw his knife, before hitting the water because of the spell, but Lola, unfortunately, caught it and threw it aside.

“Clever,” she said. “Just not clever enough.”

The spell hurt a lot when it hit Andrew again, and it made him fly all over to Jeremy and Kevin, who was just recovering before his body caught Andrew’s.

Neil charged from behind, furious. He knew it wouldn’t do anything, but he felt this rush flowing through his body and hit Lola’s shield, where his knife got stuck at the hilt.

Lola and Neil and everyone watching – which were Dan, Matt and Jeremy – were perplexed, but the knife stopped glowing and got cast out again, making Neil hit the water.

Spluttering, he coughed up some of the water that got in his lungs, before Lola was in front of him and grabbed him by the shirt.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Neil tried to kick her, but his attempts were futile, since the shield was still up.

Andrew and Kevin tried to get over, but that last spell did a number on both of them and they collapsed the entire time, while Jeremy caught them and tried to stop them from going in the first place.

Matt shrieked when Lola threw Neil against the cliffs and started marching over again, demanding to know who or what he was.

She held him up again, by the throat this time, and stared at him intently. Neil struggled, but it was no use. Then something in Lola’s eyes changed.

“Oh,” she said, dropping Neil like a sack of potato’s. “You’re his?”

Neil had no idea what she meant, but he did recognize her stance: she was going to create a spell again.

“I have to curse your friends now,” she told him, while Andrew and Kevin ran over, followed by a stressed Jeremy. “I’m sure he’ll like his son to come home.”

The force-field opened, lightning gathered in her palm and there was no way Andrew, Kevin or Jeremy could come safe him in time. Neil clenched his teeth and clenched his knife, waiting for the force field to drop to kill her, but then a miracle happened.

Dan cawed furiously, diving down and going through Lola’s force-field. There, she attacked Lola’s hand, biting in one of her fingers.

The spell disbanded. The Lake of Tears got ominously silent.

Then, a drop of blood splashed in front of Neil’s feet. And another one. And another.

Dan cawed again, cheering their victory, as the others dragged their stare up to Lola’s hand, which was bleeding.

“No...” Lola whispered. “No. No!”

She started to scream, as winds started gathering around her and she started to crumble. Before they knew it, she was just a pile of ash, which dissolved in the water in front of Neil.

Andrew was the first to move again, running towards Neil and forcing Neil to look at him by grabbing him by his chin. “Are you alright?”

“Ow!” Neil said. “Let go! I’m fine!”

Andrew wanted to counter that – he was strangled and almost cursed by a sorceress, what the hell did he mean ‘he was fine’? – but then the Lake started to glow.

Kevin cursed and told the others to get out before running towards the shore, with Jeremy, Andrew and Neil close by. 

They just got there when the stoned and sand were suddenly turned into grass and flowers, and when they looked around, they saw the Lake had disappeared and a group of people was hugging each other and crying.

To say they were surprised would be an understatement.

Andrew just wanted to comment on this, when two people walked over to them, one of them a lady with black hair and blue eyes and the other a blond man with green eyes.

“Thank you,” the woman said, smiling. “I am Ethena, wife of Nanion, chief of D’Or, which was where the Lake of Tears was situated.”

“You’re the statue-lady,” Kevin said, blunt as ever.

Ethena smiled and held up the Ruby, whose red color illuminated her hands. “And I believe you were looking for this.”

“I have to apologize,” Nanion said. “But my people and I were cursed and I had no memory of my life before being Soldeen, so I was bitter and sad and disrespectful to you. I owe you my deepest apologies.”

Kevin smiled and shrugged. “It’s alright. The real culprit has vanished, hasn't she? Lola is dead.”

“We know. Otherwise her curse wouldn’t have broken.” Nanion smiled. “Thank you, young adventurers.”

“Wait, if her curses are broken…” Kevin looked at Jeremy, whose eyes were shining.

“I guess so,” Jeremy said, and then shrieked. “I can talk again! We can talk again!”

Neil smiled and pat Dan’s feathers, who had landed in his arms when Ethena and Nanion came over to them. Dan cawed.

“This is amazing!” Jeremy said. “You three are amazing! You deserve a song!”

He started to sing, sweet and serene and Neil started to grin.

“Hey Kevin,” he said, and Andrew knew he was going to say something that would make Kevin punch him. “You should take lessons from Jeremy, maybe that’ll improve your singing.”

Kevin punched Neil in the arm, but it only made Neil laugh.

Andrew stared at Neil, happy this all turned out alright. It might have been a close call, but they had managed to come out victorious again, and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Kevin**: _holding up his shirt to show the Topaz, hoping it would do something to Soldeen/Nanion_  
**Soldeen/Nanion**: _internally_ DAAAAAAAAAAAMN LOOK AT THOSE ABS
> 
> So anyways. Another fun fact was that I thought Ethena was spelled like Athena, like the Greek goddess, and it made the dork in me geek out (or GREEK out, eh eh? Not funny? Oh well). It kind of disappointed me it wasn't, to be honest. But I also have no clue how she was called in the Dutch translations of the books (since my eleven-year-old ass couldn't read English) so I based it upon hearing it in the anime, soooooooo. It's probably my brain jumping to conclusions too fast. YEET.  
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this! Book two is DONE! On to book three, my third favorite book! (Which is kind of ironic).  
See you in two weeks!


	8. Luther's Curious Shop

After saying goodbye to the Ralads again – where they had celebrated their win against Lola with the people from D’Or and the talking-again Ralads, since they had promised to bring Jeremy home after they were done and the people of D’Or wanted to celebrate some more – the trio walked over a dusty road leading to the City of Rats, eventually.

“Why would it be called ‘City of Rats’?” Neil asked. 

“Why do you think?” Andrew said. “It’s inhabitants are rats, probably.”

Kevin really wasn’t going to endure another fight, but before Neil could open his mouth again, he got distracted by the sign Kevin just wanted to point out.

“What’s that?” he asked. 

Kevin read aloud: “‘Luther, everything for the traveler’. It looks like a sign for some kind of shop.”

“What’s a shop?”

“Forest junkie,” Andrew muttered, but both Kevin and Neil ignored him.

“A shop is a place where you buy things with money.”

Neil just blinked at Kevin, not understanding. Kevin had no idea how else to explain though. 

“It’s a building, where one person sells things to another,” he tried, but Neil only seemed to be more confused. “It’s like trading, but with money.”

“Can we just go already, we don’t need to teach this idiot,” Andrew said.

Neil didn’t even scold at him and nodded. “We’re being followed.”

He started to walk away, but Kevin pulled him back. “Followed?”

“Yes. For quite some time already actually, if I have to believe the trees.”

“The trees from the forest we walked out of less than an hour ago to come across this path with dead thorn bushes at it’s side?” Kevin was livid. “Why didn’t you say something sooner!”

“I got distracted by Andrew and then the sign-thing and your horrible explanation! Don’t yell at me!” Neil leaned down and put his ear to the ground.

Andrew walked around him to stand next to Kevin instead of behind Neil, knives ready.

“They’re not Grey Guards,” Neil told them. “The steps are too light. They also have a strange pattern to them, as if they’re from an animal.”

Kevin pulled up his shirt to look at the Belt, just in case. And his paranoia payed off. The Ruby was pale. Not exactly pink yet, but it was getting there.

“We need to run,” Andrew said, looking at the Ruby.

Kevin shoved his shirt down and they ran, followed by a cawing Dan.

“Dan says they’re wolves!” Neil shouts.

Andrew points to a hill next to the road. “Then we’ll go on higher ground! And we’ll fight them if they follow.”

They ran uphill and encountered a tree, which they turned their back to to face the howling wolves. They came closer and closer, yapping excitedly.

“Go for their leader,” Kevin said. “The pack will dissolve after that.”

“No it won’t,” Neil said, frowning.

“Silence,” Andrew said, as the wolves appeared in front of them, teeth bared.

Behind them were strange lantern-like lights, floating in the air. They made the trio frown, as they had never encountered those. Kevin thought they looked like those lights you see above a swamp in pictures, but thought nothing of it and gripped the hilt of his sword tight.

Andrew was staring one down into his yellow eyes, and all of a sudden he got the feeling something wasn’t right. Those eyes could not belong to a wolf. They’re too… ‘human’.

But before he could warn the others, they heard something snap and got swooped up in a net, dangling from a branch. 

Kevin cursed, Neil squirmed and Andrew looked at their fallen weapons, cursing their luck.

Then the wolves laughed and changed form. If Andrew had to guess from their hideousness, they were Jin and Jod’s siblings: Lola’s children.

“Ha ha,” one said. “They fell for our trap! Now they’ll pay for what they did to mother and Jin and Jod!”

The small, blue lights twirled around that monster, probably in agreement. And that would mean they were Jin and Jod weirdly enough.

“Lola’s children?” Kevin asked in a hushed tone.

“Well obviously,” Neil said, as he squirmed some more.

Beneath them, the children started discussing how to prepare their meal. Andrew had no plans to become their meal, so his mind worked overtime to come up with something to make sure they didn’t eat the three of them.

“Good job guys,” Neil said. “Keep nibbling.” 

He moved again, leaning all over Andrew and petted Matt, who was chewing on the ropes with Dan. 

“Just lay still,” Andrew said, as he continued to listen to the Lola-siblings bickering. “And do as I do.”

Neil stopped squirming and frowned as Andrew took a deep breath.

“Hey morons!” he shouted to the monsters.

“What are you doing?” Kevin asked, but Andrew ignored him.

“Don’t you realize it doesn’t matter how you cook us if there’s no possible way to divide us equally?!” Andrew continued. “Eleven cannot be divided by three! So in order to make sure you all get a piece, you have to be with nine!”

For a moment, Lola’s children just stared at them. Then the second biggest one knocked out another one and they started to fight, much to Andrew’s pleasure.

Kevin was confused, but Neil thought he knew what Andrew was doing and grinned, while keeping an eye on how big the hole Matt and Dan were making was getting.

When there were nine left, Neil continued what Andrew had started.

“But it’s still not fair! You’ll only get just a piece of one of us! If there were only three of you, you’d get a whole human!”

“I want a whole human!” A monkey-like one shouted, and he attacked his sibling.

They fought again, and Andrew nodded to Neil, who was sitting above him, in approval.

Kevin still did not understand what they were doing. “Guys, do you really-”

“Silence Kevin, we’re just buying our furry friends some time.” Andrew nodded to Matt and Dan, who almost had made a hole big enough for them to slip through. 

Then it clicked with Kevin. He grinned and when there were only three monsters left – the biggest and ugliest one and the two monkey-like ones – he decided to deliver the final blow.

“But why stop there? I’m way bigger than both my companions-” Andrew scowled and Neil huffed “-and that would mean two of you would get a small human to eat instead of a big one! If there were only one of you, you’d get us all three for yourself!”

“Ichabod deserves three humans!” The biggest one turned to his two siblings, who yelped and they fought again.

“We’re not that much smaller,” Neil said as they slipped out of the net and grabbed their weapons. “At least I’m not! I have at least an inch or three on Andrew!”

“You might be bigger in height and ego, but definitely not in muscle-mass,” Andrew told him. “And not hush, we have to get away quickly.”

They started running, just as Ichabod defeated his two siblings and knocked them out perfectly. He turned around, but when he saw his food was gone he put one and one together, growled, turned into a wolf and started going after them.

“He’s following us!” Neil shouted, gaining speed.

Andrew and Kevin tried to run harder as well, but Neil was the fastest one of them, which meant Neil was also the first to encounter the ravine marking the end of Lola’s territory, since there were trees and birds and flowers on the other side.

He looked down. You’d definitely be dead if you couldn’t make the jump.

“How will we make it across?” Kevin asked.

Andrew looked back, saw the wolf had spotted their predicament and started running faster. “We jump.”

“What?” Both Kevin and Neil said, but Andrew was already walking back a little to get the momentum and ran towards the edge.

He made it easily, giving Neil and Kevin hope of survival and they jumped as well, just when Ichabod reached the ravine.

Neil landed elegantly, but still dropped down into the grass to laugh and smell the flowers, while Kevin tripped when he landed and came face-first into the dirt. He didn’t care that much though. They survived it.

Andrew kicked Neil in his leg. “Stop being an idiot. We have to get going before Ichabod gets the idea to follow us out of his mother’s territory anyways.”

So Neil got up and they ran into the woods.

A few hours later they found another sign of Luther’s shop. And another. And then, as they got out of the woods and onto a path, they encountered a tiny house with the sign: ‘Luther’s shop: everything for the traveler’.

“That’s great!” Kevin said. “We were getting low on food anyways, so we better go check it out.”

Andrew counted their money and followed Kevin in. Neil looked at the front, sighed and followed anyways, even though he really didn’t want to enter another house, remembering the Jin-and-Jod-experience.

“Hello?” Kevin called.

No-one answered. There was no-one there either, which was strange. Why leave the story unguarded when there are people like thieves who could just take anything and run? 

Kevin spotted a lantern he liked and tried to grab it, but it wouldn’t budge from the table. Then he found out his hand was stuck too. Grunting, he tried to pull it loose, but it was no use.

“Idiot,” Andrew said, but even his efforts to free Kevin didn’t work.

Neil just watched the two struggle, which meant he was the first to notice the man standing behind the counter now.

The man had brown eyes, a fake smile and brown hair that was hidden by his grey hat. He winked at Neil, who scoffed and looked away again.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” the man asked, making Andrew and Kevin turn around.

“This idiot got himself stuck to this lantern,” Andrew said. “Could you release him?”

The man appeared a little shocked by Andrew, but recollected himself, plastered a smile to his face again and nodded. “Maria dear?”

A woman appeared from behind him, with tanned skin, black hair and brown eyes. She was smiling too and pressed something under the counter, releasing Kevin, who almost fell on his butt by his sudden release. Then she went around the counter to go outside of the shop. 

The trio turned to the man behind the counter.

“Let me introduce myself, I’m Luther, the shopkeeper, and the woman who had just left is my wife Maria. What might I interest you in?”

It remained silent for some time. 

“A rope,” Andrew said, stepping forward. “We need a good rope.”

Luther smiled and went to a table filled with ropes. There he checked a few and then picked one, grinning widely.

“This one will interest you. It’s a magical rope which attaches and detaches itself automatically.” He demonstrated, with Kevin as audience, since Andrew looked over to Neil gesturing to the rope.

Neil nodded. Yes, it was magical. Slightly, but still magic. Just like a lot of the things in this store.

“We’d have much use of it!” Kevin exclaimed. “How much is it?”

“Just three silver coins,” Luther said.

“Three?” Andrew raised his eyebrow. “I’d give you thirteen copper coins for it.”

“That’s low,” Kevin said, but Luther grinned.

“Two silver coins and ten copper ones.”

Andrew took the challenge and started bargaining with Luther, while Kevin watched the exchange and Neil felt himself growing restless and bored.

“Two silver coins,” Andrew then said. “That’s as high as I’m willing to go.”

“We have a deal,” Luther said, offering Andrew to shake hands.

Andrew ignored the hand and looked around. “We also need some food and maybe a blanket for the redheaded idiot behind us, for when it gets cold.”

Luther happily showed them around his shop, making Kevin excited for Fire Beads, No-Bake Bread and Glowing Bubbles, which was actually a pipe.

Andrew was interested in the first two things too and bargained Luther for it, but he rolled his eyes when Kevin wanted to buy the pipe as well. They were already getting low on money, and who knows when and how much they’d need sometime soon. 

Neil was really bored now, watching Matt prance around on the ground, playing with some button he had found. He wished Andrew and Kevin would hurry up and tell them he didn’t like shops very much.

Then, the bell next to the door rang and a man appeared in the doorway. He had a scar across his left cheek, messy brown hair and blue eyes. He was taller then Neil was, who stood in front of him, frowning.

“You’re in my way,” the man said with a raspy voice.

Neil hated him already. Maybe because of the man's attitude, maybe because of this weird feeling in his gut, maybe because he just didn't like the man's face, but to be honest, Neil didn't really care. He scoffed and stepped aside, wondering whether he should make this stranger trip or not.

The man got up to Luther’s counter, where Kevin and Andrew were standing, and pointed to the rope. “How much is that one?”

“One silver coin,” Luther said.

Kevin wanted to protest, but Andrew put his hand on Kevin’s mouth and nodded to the counter. There, in the dust, the man had drawn a V-shaped bird: the symbol of the Resistance.

The Resistance-man nodded, gave Luther the coin and continued to ignore both Andrew and Kevin. “Do you happen to know anything about the changes across the river?”

Andrew knew he was asking about Lola’s territory. Word must have gone around already that she had disappeared. Or maybe even that she was defeated and killed by a mysterious trio.

“I haven’t got a clue,” Luther admitted. “Maybe the wild thorns have something to do with it.”

Wild thorns must be a code for something, but Andrew couldn’t figure out what Luther could possibly mean with it. 

The Resistance-man huffed. “No, those were the result of the poor rulers of this country, the kings and queens of this country who were cowardly enough to hide their names.”

“Until one came out since he was defeated by the Shadowlord,” Luther pointed out, making the other man shake his head.

“Whatever. Thanks for the rope.”

Kevin wanted to protest the kings and queens had no idea the Shadowlord was manipulating them and believed their people had no need to know their name, which is why they remained nameless until the last one got out with the story of how the Shadowlord took over Deltora again, but Andrew had pressed one of his knives into Kevin’s stomach to keep him silent, so Kevin just scoffed and crossed his arms.

This didn’t go entirely unnoticed however, making Andrew curse internally when Luther glanced at them.

The man left the shop, but not before having a little staring contest with Neil, who was glaring daggers at the man the entire time.

The man huffed at Neil and left. Neil stared at the door.

Then he left the store too, muttering something about ‘standing guard’ and leaving Andrew and Kevin to finalize the deal.

“Since your rope has already been sold, I’ll give you two gifts instead of the one gift every customer gets.” Luther shove the pipe to them and put an extra bottle of Fire Beads next to it. “There you go. Three gifts then, for the same price of ten silver coins.” He put another bottle next to the rest of the stuff. It said: ‘Water Eaters’. Kevin wondered what they were for.

Andrew paid and then they went outside to see Neil glaring at the man riding away on his horse.

“How come you don’t like him?” Andrew said.

“Yeah, he seems like such a swell guy,” Kevin commented, rolling his eyes.

“You just hate him because he hates the former kings and queens.”

“Without a fair reason!”

“He has every reason to,” Neil said. “It’s not like they prevented the Shadowlord from taking over or saw for themselves they were being manipulated. I mean, as far as I know from the Ralads, mom and you guys, all they did was sit in their palace.”

Kevin wanted to protest, but Andrew decided to break the conversation up by bringing in a new subject.

“You know what would ease our trip? A horse or three.”

“Can you actually ride a horse?” Kevin asked.

“You don’t need to have experience for the animals I have for sale,” Luther said behind them.

They turned around, startled. He just continued smiling.

“Don’t sneak up on your customers,” Andrew said. “You might scare them away for good.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I just smelled a deal and took my chances. You haven’t run away yet, so I guess those chances were in my favor.” Luther passed them and gestured to behind the shop. “Want me to show you what I have in store?”

The trio followed, semi-reluctantly but most of all curious.

“My wife was just readying the Muddlets,” Luther told them.

They came across a paddock with weird, horse-like creatures with long ears and three legs; two in the back and one up front. 

Maria was tending to them, looking a little surprised at her husband.

“How can these help?” Andrew asked.

“Muddlets are as fast as the wind, even if they don’t look like it. And controlling them is a piece of cake; even a newborn could do it as long as it’s able to talk.”

Kevin was sold immediately. That would help immensely. If they were as fast as the wind, they could get to the City of Rats in no time.

Andrew wasn’t impressed though, so Kevin turned to Neil for help, but Neil had walked over to the paddock and was petting one of the Muddlets, smiling softly.

Kevin turned to Andrew again, who sighed.

“How much are they?”

“Eighteen gold coins each,” Luther stated simply.

“We don’t have that kind of money,” Andrew grunted. “Couldn’t you like, give us a discount?”

“This is as low as I can go.”

Andrew scoffed, but then Neil popped up behind him.

“So, are these things what you pay with?” He held a handful of gold coins in his hand. “I got these from the Grey Guards who were killed by the Wennbar.”

“They are...” Kevin said. “But wait, how did you say you got these?”

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner you had money too?” Andrew asked.

Neil shrugged. “How was I supposed to know they were money? I just liked them because they were shiny. And they make nice projectiles when thrown.”

Neil gave Andrew a bag filled with all sort of coins and went back to the Muddlets, leaving Kevin and Andrew to stare at the amount of money he had in one of the two small bags he kept around his belt.

Andrew paid Luther, who went inside to store the money. 

Maria helped Neil get up the Muddlet with the yellow spots on his brown body, and then helped Kevin and Andrew get on one too. Kevin got a white one with black spots and Andrew a brown one with black stripes around its neck.

“Now listen carefully,” Maria began. “Muddlets are easy to control if you know the right words. 'Brix' tells them to go on and gain speed if you repeat it. 'Snuff' is to make them stop, no matter how hard you were going. Also heed this warning, never go right at the intersection, always to left.”

They practiced a little in the paddock and then, when they were good to go, they got onto the road with the Muddlets, thanking Maria and Luther for their services.

On the road, they discovered the Muddlets were indeed very fast.

“This will definitely get us to the City of Rats in no time!” Kevin shouted happily.

“Hey Andrew!” Neil shouted, riding next to the blond. “Wanna race? I bet my Muddlet is faster than yours!”

Andrew scoffed. “Brix!”

His Muddlets gained speed, making Neil laugh and follow suit. Kevin rolled his eyes at the two of them.

After some time, they got to an intersection. There was a sign there too, telling Kevin and Andrew that the left path took them to some place called Miller’s Rise and the right took them to Broad River, where the City of Rats was situated.

“Well, Maria said not to take the right path...” Neil said.

Kevin shrugged. “That was probably because the City of Rats is a dangerous place, so she was just keeping us on a safe road.”

“Well yeah, but still...”

“Let’s just go on,” Andrew said. “Don’t want to keep the rats waiting.”

Neil scoffed. “Fine!”

They rode on. For some time it went well, like before. 

Then the Muddlets got out of control, galloping harder and going faster and faster.

Shouting “Snuff” didn’t help, so the trio just held on as tightly as possible. That didn’t work either of course.

Kevin was the first to fall, hitting the road and staying down. Then Neil, who looked around and gripped Matt, who was hiding in his shirt, tighter as they fell. Then Andrew, who saw both of them fall and tried to jump off but failed. The Muddlet was too fast for him to jump properly.

When Andrew hit the road he wondered where the Muddlets were going in the first place and if maybe this was what Maria was warning about. Well, she could have been a little more specific then.

The world went black and then Andrew was unconscious as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HA! CLIFFHANGER!  
Also, two new characters appear! Luther Hemmick and his wife Maria! It started with me wanting Luther to be Tom the Shopkeeper, for reasons that will become clear a little further in the story. But then I had to fit Maria in there as well, so she just fitted in as his wife (I really don't think that's grammarly correct, but oh well). Maria is one of the first characters I had no idea of how to fit them in the characters that made up the Deltora-world (Tom, Lief, Jasmine, Barda, Shadowlord, etc.), so I just put her next to Luther in the shop.  
Where's Nicky you might ask? Well, that will be cleared up further in the story as well...  
Anyways, thanks for reading! I really hope you all liked this new part and are looking forward to the next! (I certainly am)  
See you soon and happy holidays!
> 
> PS: Damn this chapter is long... Whoops


	9. Noradz the Clean

Someone sprayed water in his face. Kevin woke up when it happened again and started coughing. Andrew and Neil were up as well, also lying on the bright, white floor made of what seemed like marble. 

“Spray again,” an unknown but deformed voice ordered. “We need to make sure they’re clean.”

“Clean Noradzeer,” another voice repeated, and Kevin, Andrew and Neil were sprayed with water again.

“Why thank you,” Neil said sarcastically.

“Where are we?” Andrew asked to direct the attention of the people in front of them.

Most had blue robes and hats on, but nine of them had red suits that completely covered their entire body, with a red mask you could only see their eyes through. That would probably be why one of the voices was deformed; the mask blocked some of the sound.

“You are in Noradz,” the one with the unique, crown-like top on his mask said. “And I am Reece, the First of the Nine Ra-Kacharz. We found you outside our gates, passed out, so we took you in and cleansed you. We’re also doing that to your possessions.”

That explained why Andrew and Kevin were missing their cloaks and they all missed their weapons and bags.

Neil felt Matt squirm under his shirt and he put his hand on his stomach, where Matt was sitting. Dan wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Where’s Dan?” Neil asked.

Reece looked at him. “There’s a fourth member of your party?”

Kevin frowned. “Dan’s a bird.”

The people of Noradz gasped and started muttering among themselves, sounding scared.

“You better keep Matt hidden,” Andrew whispered to Neil.

Neil nodded.

Reece made everyone silence again by raising his hand. “Let’s treat our guests with respect, not fear.”

He put his right hand on his left shoulder and moved it to his right side again, as if he swiped at something or threw a knife clumsily. “Clean Noradzeer.”

The eight other red-suited people followed his example. “Clean Noradzeer.”

Behind them, the people dressed in blue did the same. “Clean Noradzeer.”

Reece repeated the gesture and sentence, and then looked expectantly to the trio. They stared back, blank. Kevin wondered why the people of Noradz made that gesture in the first place – was it their way of greeting each others? – while Andrew was wondering how to get out and Neil wanted to get Matt to safety and wondered how Dan was doing.

Reece humphed. “Clean. Noradzeer.” He did the gesture again.

Andrew raised his eyebrow. Did Reece expect them to repeat the gesture?

“Repeat after me.” Reece had decided to take them by the hand anyways, and did the gesture again. “Clean Noradzeer.”

Kevin repeated the gesture, making Andrew follow to humor both Reece and Kevin. “Clean Noradzeer?”

Reece nodded, content, and then turned to Neil, who had crossed his arms as he stood up. 

Neil just stared back, with a blank face. Kevin nudged him in his side, but Neil didn’t budge.

“How did you three get to our fair city?” Reece asked, after sending narrowed eyes and a scowl to Neil.

“By animal,” Andrew said. “They threw us off and knocked us unconscious, after which they must have fled.”

Reece’s eyes narrowed again. “Oh?”

“It’s not like came here for fun,” Neil said. “It’s highly unlikely for us to knock ourselves unconscious in front of your gates, isn’t it? So the only remaining possibility is what we told you; our beasts knocked us off and ran off, leaving us stranded in this wonderful place.”

“I’d advice you to hold your tongue traveler,” Reece said slowly, threateningly. “You’re talking to the First of the Nine who oversee Noradz, and we’ve been so kind to let you into our fair but fragile city and cleansed you.”

“Oh how impressive,” Neil said.

Before he could continue, Andrew stepped forward.

“Dear First, we just want to get our belongings and go our merry way again. So all we ask of you is to be so kind as to let us go our separate ways.”

Reece glanced at Andrew and snapped in his fingers. Then he and the other eight started whispering, probably discussing the proposal. 

“Neil,” Andrew whispered to his companion. “As much as I love seeing you wreck other people and getting beat up or thrown into jail because of it, this is not the time to let your tongue run wild. We need to get out and they are the people who have our stuff.”

Neil huffed, but before he could say anything, Reece turned around again.

“We have discussed your request, but since we have already prepared for a meal and cleansed the food, which is a time-consuming process, it needs to be eaten within the hour. So we will first eat.”

Andrew accepted this, seeing it as an opportunity to find their stuff on his own and figure out where the exit might be.

So they followed the Nine through a long and shiny hall that almost seemed to reflect their images.

“How much time would it take them daily to keep it this clean?” Kevin wondered out loud.

“Time is not the issue,” Andrew said. “It’s the amount of soap they need that terrifies me.”

Neil snorted, but managed to hide his smile and turned his snort into a cough. It still earned him a scowling look from Reece. 

They are being led into another large hall, but this time the wands were filled with sinks and taps with soap next to the taps.

“This is where we will hold the Hand Cleansing Ceremony,” Reece told them. “If you would find a tap to stand in front of, we can begin.”

Andrew, Kevin and Neil stood next to each other in front of the taps, at the very end of the hall, while the other people and the Nine took a place as well.

Reece held up his hands. “Place your hands under the water.”

Everyone turned on the tap and put their hands under the streaming water. 

“Scrub scrub,” the people and Nine of Noradz said, which almost made Neil laugh at the ridiculousness.

Kevin went along to honor them and their customs, Andrew went along to humor Kevin and Neil just put his hands under the water and watched how the water went from his hands to the sink, not moving at all during the ceremony.

“Wash the backs of your hands.”

“Scrub scrub.”

“Wash the palms of your hands.”

“Scrub scrub.”

“Wash between the fingers.”

“Scrub scrub.”

“Wash under your nails.”

“Scrub scrub.”

“Clean Noradzeer!” Reece ended the ceremony.

Everyone put up their hands, making Kevin and the other two follow quickly.

“Clean Noradzeer,” they chanted after Reece, all except Neil.

Reece noticed and shot him a dirty look, but Neil just rolled his eyes and waved with his wet hands. He really wasn’t going to follow some dumb idiot’s rules just because they were forced to stay here. All Neil wanted was to see Dan again and run to Luther to kick him and his wife for being mysterious with their Muddlet-instructions. And then maybe throw some dirt in Noradz’ hallway to see them freak out about it.

After the Hand Cleansing Ceremony, they had to undergo the Nail-Inspection Ceremony, where the Nine checked if everyone did the Hand Cleansing Ceremony right. Strangely enough Neil passed as well, even though he hadn’t washed his hands properly.

“Just proves they’re overreacting to everything,” he said when they were led into the dining hall. “It really takes away my appetite.”

Kevin and Andrew agreed silently.

The dining hall consisted of a lot of strangely high tables with no chairs and a lot of food on top of them. Kevin, Andrew and Neil got the one on the very left of the hall, still up front, but far from Reece and the others from the Ra-Kacharz.

“This is stupid,” Kevin commented while putting his arms on the table. “I feel like I’m five years again.”

He looked around to face Neil and Andrew and started laughing. They both almost needed a stool to even reach the table.

Neil shot him a dirty glance, while Andrew, who stood next to Kevin, floored his brother by kicking him in the knees.

Reece huffed, but decided to ignore them anyways. Some people brought more plates with food, and Neil reached to the far end, standing on the tip of his toes, to grab some berries for Matt. He ate them gratefully, but stayed hidden in Neil’s shirt the best he could.

“There are no forks or spoons or even plates to eat from,” Kevin then said, frowning.

“Well, at least there’s one thing they got right,” Neil said, grinning.

“Let’s commence eating!” Reece shouted when everyone found a place to stand. “Clean Noradzeer!”

“Clean Noradzeer!” everyone except for Neil repeated. 

They ate, and even though they weren’t really hungry anymore after all those ceremonies, the food tasted really good and they dug in.

“Have you tried this weird salad?” Kevin asked.

“No,” Andrew said. “And I’m not touching any greens today either, so forget about it.”

“Vegetables are good for your health Andrew! Take one of these fruits then.”

“No.”

“You can’t live on sweets and bread and meat Andrew.”

“Watch me.”

Kevin humphed, but said nothing, as a girl bringing them something he had never seen before.

“What’s that?” Neil asked.

The girl looked up, brown curls bouncing around her face and blue eyes big. “Chocolate, sir.”

Andrew was the first to try and decide to like it. He took another, prompting Neil and Kevin to try as well. They liked it. It was sweet, but not too sweet and had a flavor they couldn’t quite place.

“It’s delicious,” Kevin said, making the girl blush. “Who made these?”

“I did, sir.”

“Amazing.” Neil looked at her curiously. “What’s your name?”

“Ma-marissa.”

“Well Marissa, you can make real good… what did you call it again?”

“Chocolate,” Kevin helped him.

“Chocolate! This chocolate is delicious.”

Marissa blushed brightly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and small hat, stumbling backwards. She was really flustered, which made her clumsy and not notice the bowl of bread near the edge of the table.

She bumped against it, making it fall from the table. Time seemed to go in slow-motion. The minute it hit the floor however, Marissa was pale as a ghost and started to scream.

The entire hall was in an uproar, something the trio did not seem to get.

“Who did this?!” Reece bellowed. “Who poisoned our food?!”

“Well, isn’t that a slight overreaction?” Neil said softly, looking at Marissa.

Marissa herself was trembling as a leaf and just stared at her leader, who made eye-contact with her and scowled.

“You?” he asked.

Marissa looked away, pale as a ghost.

“As you all know, the penalty of throwing food onto the ground is fifty whiplashes,” Reece said threateningly, while grabbing the whip around his belt.

Neil didn’t want that to happen to the poor girl, who had done nothing but throw some bread onto the ground. So, he decided to step in and stepped in front of her.

He grabbed the bread and put it on the table again, which made everyone look at him in horror instead.

“What are you doing?” Reece asked.

“I’m cleaning up my mess,” Neil said, not even looking at the First Ra-Kacharz. 

“Idiot,” Kevin hissed, while Andrew muttered “Martyr”.

Reece seemed to accept this explanation of how the bread had fallen. He turned around and the Nine started to discuss the matter, while Neil fed Matt some more and ate one of the pieces of bread that had lain on the ground, earning him horrified stares from the people of Noradz.

“We have decided not to give you the penalty our people receive,” Reece said, but Andrew heard the tiny strain in his voice, as if he secretly didn’t agree with this sentiment but tried to cover that up. “You, an outsider, cannot possibly know our laws and rules, so you cannot be punished unless we had told you about them. Therefore you’re allowed to go free, but the next time you let something fall onto the ground…”

“You’ll use your whip, got it,” Neil said, returning to his spot and eating some more of the chocolate, totally unimpressed.

“Have you seen squirrels more threatening? Or were it rabbits this time?” Andrew mocked him.

“Fawns actually,” Neil returned. “I really hate this guy. Can we go on now?”

“We have to wait until the meal has finished,” Kevin said. “And until then, I forbid you from opening your mouth!”

“You can’t Kevin,” Neil said, but before he could go on with his roast, Matt caught his attention by poking his head out of his shirt. “Matt, don’t-”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence, as Matt had decided he wanted to try the chocolate as well and jumped out instead of voicing his wish to Neil. Neil tried to grab him, but this made Reece turn his attention to him again and spot Matt.

Reece’s eyes widened as he took a theatrical step backwards. “A-a-a…”

Others caught onto their leader stumbling on his words and looked as well, just when Neil had managed to grab Matt and Andrew kicked Neil to show him the attention they had gotten.

“Get ready to run,” he said to the other two, hoping they could find their weapons and stuff on their own.

Kevin nodded, looking grim, and Neil just stared directly to Reece, as if he tried to challenge the Ra-Kacharz to call them out on it. Reece took the challenge.

“RAT!” he screamed, and all of a sudden, everyone was screaming, shrieking and yelling ‘RAT’ to each other. 

“Go!” Neil shouted to Matt, putting him on the ground. “Flee Matt! We’ll catch up on you!”

Matt really didn’t want to, but when Neil gently kicked him, Matt ran across the room, making people shriek and flinch away from him.

Andrew then pulled Kevin and Neil along, but they were stopped by Ra-Kacharz, led by Reece himself.

“You brought evil upon our halls!” The First Ra-Kacharz said. “And for that you will be punished!”

Matt bore witness to how his best friend and his two companions were captured and taken away. He knew he couldn’t do anything about it, but it still brought tears to his brown eyes as he realized this was kind of his fault. So he had to make up for it and try to save them.

He jumped into the air shaft and ran further, trying to make up a plan which could save Neil. And his two companions of course.

Andrew found the fire completely unnecessary. It had no purpose but make this room even more dark and menacing and hot. 

Reece sat on a throne, while the other Nine sat behind him on large chairs. Beside him stood a man with a cup; a large, golden cup with a weird symbol on it. If Andrew had to describe it, he would say it was a circle with a line on top, making half of another circle but not completing it. And it was blue.

“Has the evil creature been found already?” Reece asked.

Neil beside him tensed, knowing they were talking about that mouse of his. To be honest, Andrew was anxious too, but he would never admit this, not even to himself.

“Not yet, we’re still searching,” another man said.

Neil relaxed and smiled wickedly to Reece, who didn’t notice because of the fires surrounding the trio and the bridge towards Reece.

“Well, let’s start anyways. We’ll catch him sooner or later.”

Neil wanted to react to that statement, but Andrew stopped him. They couldn’t use his smart mouth now. It would only get them in trouble now.

“For bringing evil into our halls, you three have to be terminated.”

Kevin wanted to protest, but Reece held up his hand and continued: “However, as is our sacred law, we have to let the final verdict go to our Sacred Cup.”

He gestured to the cup the guy next to him was holding and started an entire speech about how important laws were in Noradz and how he wanted nothing but the best for his fair city and blah-blah-blah. Andrew tuned out and stared at the cup, while Neil fake-yawned and Kevin scolded him silently for doing that.

When Reece was finally done, he pulled out two cards. One was white and had a yellow sun on it, with the word ‘life’ written underneath it. The other was black and had a white moon on it, with ‘death’ written underneath it. Andrew could already guess where Reece was going with this.

“I will put these two in the Sacred Cup, and one of you will come forward to draw a card, which will decide your destiny.”

“That’s unfair!” Kevin protested. “That’s just a simple game of chance!”

“Then why don’t you come up and draw a card?” Reece said softly.

Kevin huffed and marched forward, while Reece put the two cards into the cup.

“Idiot,” Andrew said. “He better draw the life-card, or I’ll slice his throat personally.”

“You and what weapon? Your sharp wit?” Neil said, which earned him a punch from Andrew, telling him he had no good comeback.

Kevin looked at the cup, sighed and drew a card. It was the death-card. The moon even seemed to be mocking him, which made the punch to his guts even worse.

How will they continue their quest now? And what would his parents think of this? They only had two Gems, it couldn’t end here!

Kevin looked up to Reece, but his attention was caught by a person sitting behind Reece. It was Marissa, who was mouthing something he couldn’t quite get.

‘They … … black.’ ‘They were … black.’ ‘They were both black.’

Kevin’s brain needed some time to process this. Then it clicked. They were both black. _Reece cheated_.

His panic grew. How was he supposed to get out of this now?

“Are you done contemplating and ready to show us your card?” Reece asked impatiently.

Kevin thought he must be chuckling in his fist now, laughing at their demise and he cursed Neil for making this guy angry at them in the first place.

Then he remembered the Topaz, his mind jumping from Neil to wishing they had left him in the Forests of Silence and realizing without Neil they probably wouldn’t have both the Topaz and the Ruby, though getting the Ruby was actually for Dan to take credit to, since she was the one saving Neil by killing Lola.

Anyways, Kevin put his hand on the Topaz and concentrated. Then he felt the fire, making him feel hot and uncomfortable.

“Sure,” he said, turning around.

But while he turned around, he pretended to trip and let the card fall into the fire, almost falling in there himself too.

“Kevin!” Andrew shouted, but Kevin put up his hand and got up.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“That’s my line,” Neil muttered. Andrew just ignored him.

“How will we know which card you had drawn?” Reece asked. “I demand a redraw!”

“That’s not necessary!” Kevin said smugly. “As it is really simple to determine which card I had drawn?”

Reece’s eyes narrowed. “How?”

“Just look what card is still in the Sacred Cup. If it’s the life-card, I must have drawn a death-card and vice-versa, as there were two different cards in the Sacred Cup.” Kevin looked Reece directly in the eye.

Reece huffed. “What card is left in the Cup?”

The man holding the cup drew it and held it up high.

“It’s the death-card!” Neil said happily. “Kevin drew life!”

Never before had he ever had the desire to hug someone – as it had been promptly beaten out of him by his mother, who only ‘hugged’ him whenever it was necessary for their survival and her sanity – but right this moment he wanted to hug Kevin for making them live another day.

Reece got up. “The outsiders drew the life-card, which means they will be put into prison for the rest of their lives!”

“What?!” both Neil and Kevin shouted, as Andrew only formed fists and huffed.

“You have drawn life, which means we cannot kill you, but we cannot let evil spread into the world, so we cannot let you go outside our city either,” Reece explained while Neil, Kevin and Andrew were captured again and dragged to the prisons. “So a life-sentence it is!”

Marissa watched the trio go, eyes lingering on Neil, who tried to bite, scratch and kick the Ra-Kacharz dragging him along. She then excused herself and got out of the room, returning to the halls.

And when she was alone again, she let tears flow over her face as she ran towards her own room. This was an unfair world, who punished the innocent and let the real culprits go free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooooo!  
Yay! We're in the city of Noradz! It's one of the reasons book three is my number three favorite, next to this book's Guardian of the Gem.  
Also: NEW CHARACTER! I think Marissa fits Tira's role nicely, because in my opinion **(MAYBE SPOILER ALERT)**, Tira had a little bit of a crush on Lief.  
But anyways, I really hoped you like this chapter and look forward to the next update in two weeks!  
Lots Of Love <3


	10. Escape

Neil shouted profanities to the empty halls until he was hoarse. Then he slumped onto one of the beds and curled up as a ball, which prompted Andrew to ignore him and focus on his brother, who was complaining about the unfairness of the situation.

There was little more to do but wait. Wait for food to come. Wait for someone to come. Wait for someone to put them out of their misery.

Kevin had fallen asleep when Neil woke up from a nightmare filled with fire and promptly had a panic-attack.

Andrew – who was a light sleeper – woke up to Neil’s ragged breaths.

“Neil?” he asked sleepily. 

Neil didn’t answer.

“Neil, snap out of it.” Andrew had no clue what to do, so he got up, went to Neil’s bed and touched his shoulder.

He could have expected the violent reaction, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. 

“Neil!” Andrew shouted.

Neil started to breath normally again, his hand still holding Andrew’s wrist. He let go and huffed, before turning around again and ignoring Andrew’s stare.

This wasn’t the only panic-attack though. Andrew figured Neil would hate being locked up, as he was used to being free and roam the air and jump from tree to tree and so on and so forth. But he hadn’t expected the frequent panic-attacks and panting nightmares the boy had. The only reason he didn’t ask though, was because he didn’t want to pry and make Neil spill secrets he didn’t want to and because they had other problems to face. It had been too long since they had been locked up. Someone ought to have brought some food by now.

No-one came, and as the days dragged into nights and vice versa, the trio started to weaken. At what had to be the fifth day, Neil had almost passed out when he had another panic-attack. 

“I just need a little water,” Neil said when Kevin started to fuss over him. “I’m f-”

“Don’t you dare,” Andrew said threateningly. 

Neil wanted to tell Andrew to shut his traps and leave him alone, but then they all heard footsteps. Small, light footsteps, of someone who was trying to sneak but obviously wasn’t skilled enough to do it correctly.

They stopped in front of their cell, and then someone pushed a tray with three bowls of soup inside. When that person rose up again, Andrew saw it was Marissa, the girl Neil defended.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, while Kevin grabbed a bowl for both him and Neil. 

“I came here to check up on you,” the girl said, hesitantly. “The great First Ra-Kacharz said he’d give you food himself, but I was afraid he’d forget because he’s so busy.”

Andrew snorted. “Right. You believe that?”

Kevin rolled his eyes, put his now empty bowl down and grabbed Andrew’s, giving it to his brother. When Andrew ignored him, Kevin grabbed the spoon and made Andrew back away until he got his brother cornered and forced him to eat the soup.

“Of course I do!” Marissa then said, after being silent for a long, long time. “He wants nothing but the best for us! Clean Noradzeer.” She probably made the weird gesture as well, but they couldn't see thanks to the door blocking her body.

Andrew, after swallowing some of his soup, snorted again. “Have you already forgotten the trick with the cards?”

Kevin had told him and Neil about it while they were locked up, but Andrew had already suspected something after Kevin’s weird behavior after drawing their card. He just couldn’t quite put his finger on it though, as if the answer was just slipping away before he could grab it.

Marissa stayed noticeably silent after that. 

“It was an accident,” she then said, softly. “It must have been…”

But they all heard the hesitation in her voice.

Neil got up, a little wonky but better after the delicious soup. He got up to the door, grabbed the bars of the window and looked Marissa directly in the eye.

“Listen,” he said. “Reece is nothing but a dirty liar who doesn’t like people getting in his way, because he enjoys his power way too much. So of course it wasn’t an accident, but when it didn’t work out and the almighty goblet seemed to be favorable to us, he had to act on it.”

“No!” Marissa protested. “He-”

“He’s not kind or whatever you were going to say, but you know what: I don’t care whether you believe us or not, because as of right now, all we care about is getting out of here and continue our merry way. And you could help us with that.” Neil smiled weakly. “Let us out. You can pretend not to know a thing or whatever, we won’t judge or care. Just help us continue our quest and live your life the way you want to.”

Marissa remained silent for some more. Then, the door clicked and fell open, with Neil tumbling along.

They all stared at the small girl with brown eyes, who looked at the ground rigged with guilt.

“I- oh what have I done?” she then muttered, closing the door behind Kevin.

“Something great,” he assured her. “We’ll find the exit on our own; you don’t have to get into more trouble if you don’t want to.”

“No,” Marissa said. “You need to go to the Hole. That’s the only way out I know of that has no guards protecting it.”

The trio looked at each other. In their current state, they shouldn’t fight indeed, for it would end badly for them. So an exit which wasn’t guarded? While it did raise some questions, it was their best option.

“We are very grateful to you,” Kevin said, smiling. “Thank you Marissa.”

“Let’s just go,” she merely said, as she started to lead them through a maze of tunnels, hallways and rooms.

“Shouldn’t we get our stuff?” Neil asked when they walked down on a spiral staircase.

“No time,” Andrew said. “We first need to get out, then we’ll figure out what to do about our stuff.”

“And what about Matt?”

“If your mouse-”

“Matt’s not a mouse!” Neil interrupted him, hissing.

“Whatever. If he’s is as smart as you say he is, he would have got out to get some help or go find Dan and tell her about all of this and let her come up with one. And since they haven’t come to rescue us, they probably came up empty.”

“That Matt-creature has caused us lots of trouble,” Marissa said softly, before Neil could start an argument with Andrew again. “It’s still missing, probably roaming these halls as we speak. People wake up from nightmares about him, they are scared to walk the hallways and do their duties because of it! They’re afraid the evil creature will kill them.”  
This silenced both Andrew and Neil for some time.

“We come from a place where Matt is considered a friend instead of a foe,” Kevin then said. “Which is why we had brought him along. We didn’t mean to make you scared or anything.”

“It’s your friend?”

“He is,” Neil said. “He has been almost my entire life.”

“How old were you again when you found him? Oh wait, seven, right? That’s eight out of your fifteen miserable years in this land, not your entire life.”

“Shut up,” Neil told Andrew, before continuing to Marissa: “Both he and Dan, my other friend who’s a bird, have helped me a great deal so far, saving my life on multiple occasions.”

“Because you’re a toddler who still needs help.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut it?”

“You did, but I elected to ignore it.”

“Guys,” Kevin hissed. “I see a door.”

“That’s towards the kitchen. If you cross the bridge, you’ll enter the room where the entrance to the Hole is.” Marissa stepped in front of them and folded her hands. “This is as far as I’m going to bring you.”

“And we cannot thank you enough,” Neil said, whilst Kevin nodded and Andrew inspected the kitchen a little, peeking behind the door.

Marissa had been right so far. Andrew saw the bridge she was referring to, a higher part of the kitchen almost reaching the ceiling crossing the entire room towards the door to the other side. He also saw a lot of people making and baking food, which not only made him frown, but also go hungry again because the food smelled delicious.

“Why are they making so much food?” he asked.

Marissa smiled. “Because little gets approved by the Ra-Kacharz after the Inspection. We need to make as much as we can to have as much food pass the test as possible, and we love to do it to keep our fair city good and clean. Clean Noradzeer!”

Neil frowned a little while Andrew rolled his eyes and Kevin was scanning the kitchen as well.

“This is insane,” he said.

“No it isn’t,” Marissa said, a little puzzled.

“It is!” Kevin huffed and turned around. “People in Del are fighting over some scraps of food and you people here treat it like it’s nothing! It’s crazy!”

Andrew sighed. “Down Kevin.”

Kevin scowled and crossed his arms, pouting like a little child. Marissa said nothing, but was frowning a little.

“I do have to warn you,” she then said. “The only people I know of that have been able to come alive out of the Hole are the Ra-Kacharz, who are also the only ones allowed there. It’s where the rejected food goes into after the Inspection. So please be careful.”

This made Kevin calm down again, realizing she didn’t know any better and being angry at her had no reason but the fact that he needed an outlet for all the things that had happened over these few days, weeks, months.

“Thanks again,” Kevin said, when Andrew gestured them to go along. “We will never forget this act of kindness.”

Marissa just nodded. And when Kevin had left, she still stood there, chewing on her bottom lip.

The trio entered a large, purple room after crossing the kitchen-bridge without much difficulty. No-one even thought about looking up, no matter what they’d have done. It’s never a place someone would think to look, since it’s not logical to their brains.

Kevin observed the tunnel on the other side of the room. It looked and smelled nasty, with purple mucus all over the walls and ceiling, dripping down onto the floor. 

“I don’t think we should touch it while passing,” he said.

“Maybe we should find a way to cover ourselves,” Andrew said. “The Nine do it too.”

“True,” Kevin said. “But unless you have some magical pocket in your clothes somewhere with something to cover us, I don’t see what we could cover ourselves with.”

“I’m not going with you,” Neil then said.

Andrew and Kevin turned around, flabbergasted.

“Are you stupid?” Andrew asked. “And don’t answer, it was a rhetorical question.”

“I wasn’t going to in the first place!” Neil hissed. “I’m going to find Matt.”

“He’s probably already outside,” Kevin tried, but Neil shrugged.

“I want to make sure he’s not somewhere around here. And I mean, you two started this quest right? So you can do without me just fine. I’ll catch up.”

“But I thought your mother had told you to go along because it was your destiny,” Kevin said. “And you said we were too idiotic to get this quest done anyways, and that’s why we needed you.”

“We’re not the idiotic ones,” Andrew said. “So we don’t need him, but I do stand on your side this once. Neil, who else are you going to fight with?”

“I said I’d catch up!” Neil said. “Just… Just let me do this. He’s one of my best friends.”

He sounded to desperate and pleading, both Kevin and Andrew were silent for some time.

“You’ll owe me a truth after this,” Andrew said. “Deal?”

“Fine. Deal.” Neil turned around and ran into the hallway.

Kevin wanted to say something, but Andrew dragged him towards the entrance and made his brother shut up with one stern look.

They looked at the mucus covering the walls. 

“Why did you let Neil go?” Kevin then asked, curious.

“Well, we can’t force him to come with, so if he wants to find his furry friend, he should do so and let his own stupid ass get into trouble. We cannot stop him and shouldn’t want to anyways.”

Kevin wanted to react to that, but then they heard a familiar voice say: “There you are!” and they heard footsteps coming back. The duo turned around and saw Neil running towards them, with a very, very pissed off Reece behind him.

“I have no idea how you got out,” the First said when Neil reached the other two and leaned against the wall, panting. “But I’m afraid you signed your death-wishes anyways, as no-one will ever find your bodies.”

He grabbed his whip and slapped on the ground, in front of their feet. Neil huffed and went around him to try and get Reece from behind, but Reece caught onto his plan and whipped him to the ground.

Kevin then tried to get to Neil before Reece could, so Reece stood between the two of them.

“You know what? Why don’t you go into the Hole? You’ll get a fine death there!” He started guiding Kevin towards the Hole, but Andrew was having none of that and tried to attack. Reece promptly sent him flying to the wall.

Then Neil got up and charged from behind, trying to choke Reece. But he was too small and actually had to jump to get onto the guy, so Reece just caught him midway.

“Did you really think you could defeat me like that?” Reece asked.

Neil spat in his face. Some actually got in Reece’s eye, the rest just dripped down his mask. 

Reece’s eyes spat fire as he adjusted his grip on Neil and started choking him.

Kevin tried to save Neil, but Reece used his whip to force Kevin to make distance. Andrew tried to get up, but he was too slow and could do nothing more but watch his brother backing away from Reece, into the Hole.

“Die, die, die, die, die!” Reece chanted as Kevin backed away and stepped closer and closer to the Hole, while Neil’s struggles started to slow down.

“Kevin!” Andrew shouted, finding strength to get up and move, but then a figure came up from behind and smashed Reece’s head with a frying pan.

Neil slumped to the ground, coughing, while Kevin stared at Marissa, who was staring at her leader in horror. She had their stuff strapped on to her body, which is why she had returned in the first place.

Andrew slowly got up and joined them, relieved they were all still alive.

“What have I done?” Marissa whispered, dropping the pan and grabbing her face in horror.

Neil sat up, took a few deep breaths and decided he was fine again. “You saved our lives, that’s what you had done.”

“I just- I just wanted to- wanted to give you back your- your stuff…” Marissa started tearing up.

None of the boys knew what to do, so eventually Neil gave her an awkward pat on the back and Andrew and Kevin joined them to give Marissa a small hug – Kevin – and an appreciative nod – Andrew.

She gave them back their belongings and waited for them to put them on, before tearing up once more, mourning what she had done.

“Listen,” Neil said. “Don’t you dare regret this, okay? Reece has no idea who had done this, so you’re safe, and you saved our lives by hitting him on the head!”

“Especially yours, since you were the one being choked to death by a maniac,” Andrew said coldly.

“You were really brave, and we appreciate that,” Neil continued, ignoring Andrew. “Even Andrew. So thank you.”

Marissa then smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“You should get going,” Kevin said. “We don’t want you to get into trouble, and there might be more coming this way as we speak.”

Marissa nodded, blushed a little and kissed Neil on his cheek, confusing the boy before hurrying off. 

Andrew rolled his eyes at Neil’s confused and Kevin’s slightly hurt look. “We should get going.”

They all looked into the Hole, which seemed more ominous now.

“We can’t go in,” Kevin said. “Not without protection.”

“Well, we’ve beaten worse odds, haven’t we?” Neil joked, but even he knew the situation was dire. And he still felt the itch to go looking for Matt, though he really didn’t want to get separated again and meet some weirdo of this city in the dark hallway.

Andrew just thought about it and then looked at Reece, who was still lying on the ground, unconscious. 

Then, they were interrupted again, by three surprised Ra-Kacharz.

“The Unclean Ones!” one shouted in horror. “How did they escape?”

“And beaten the great leader Reece,” another added, to which the third replied: “We must avenge him!”

“Seriously?” Andrew asked. “That asshole?”

The trio drew their weapons, but the three Ra-Kacharz had those crazy strong whips, and this was clearly an advantage.

Andrew managed to beat one by throwing his knife at him, but now he had just one knife and another Ra-Kacharz to beat with Kevin, while Neil took the final one.

All went well, until Andrew, Kevin and Neil started to get exhausted. They hadn’t eaten for five days and were fighting with just one bowl of soup in their stomachs and another fight just a few minutes ago, so of course their energy was getting low and their coordination off and sloppy.

Neil wished for a miracle to happen, since he really didn’t want to die here in this closed off space. And then, it did.

Matt came out of nowhere, jumping on the Ra-Kacharz fighting with Neil, while screeching a battle cry.

“The evil creature!” the Ra-Kacharz cried out before hitting the floor and losing consciousness.

“Matt!” Neil said happily, while Andrew and Kevin beat the last and fairly distracted Ra-Kacharz and ending the battle.

Matt leaped into Neil’s arms, snuggling close, crying and giving Neil strokes with his nose, giving his best friend kisses. Neil laughed and hugged Matt tight.

“I’m so happy you’re okay!” he exclaimed when he held Matt high before hugging him again. “I was worried.” 

Matt told Neil he had been worried too, but he couldn’t find Neil anywhere and decided to find the exit and hope for the best.

“We need to go,” Andrew said. “So cut the reunion short and come along.”

“Nah, I kind of like it here,” Neil said sarcastically.

“Then stay.”

Neil rolled his eyes, but decided to let it go this once.

They all went into the Hole together, not wanting to be around the Ra-Kacharz for much longer than was strictly necessary. 

The Hole smelled really bad, and the slime covering the walls really didn’t make it any better. The trio was also a little puzzled by the rails on the floor, but they decided not to question it. 

“Neil, you should come under mine or Andrew’s cloak,” Kevin said, opening his. “It might help you be protected of the mucus.”

Neil didn’t answer though, as he had just found something more interesting. There was a door in the wall, and it wasn’t locked.

So he opened it and conveniently found three, red suits that would cover them head to toe.

The trio put them on and Andrew and Neil kicked Kevin for snorting at how ridiculous they looked; as they almost drowned in the large suits.

“Do you think this stuff is really poisonous?” Kevin asked, pointing at the purple mucus.

“Try it,” Andrew said, but Kevin wasn’t that curious to find out.

“Look,” Neil said, pointing how the scenery changed when the purple mucus made room for weird, green mushrooms covering the walls, floors and dripping some slimy stuff to the ground from time to time.

“I’m so glad we found these suits,” Kevin said.

Neil glared at him. “I was the one that found them.”

Kevin wanted to respond, but then he slipped and almost fell against Neil, if Andrew hadn’t grabbed him and kept him steady before Kevin actually fell.

“Watch it, it can be slippery,” Andrew deadpanned.

“Why thanks for the warning Andrew,” Kevin huffed, letting Andrew go and continuing his way.

Neil grinned, even though that wasn’t visible since his mouth was blocked by the suit, which only left room for your eyes to see.

He was up front, slowly and carefully stepping on the slippery ground and making sure he and Matt didn’t fall and slide to who-knows-where. Kevin followed suit, also careful, and closing the row was Andrew, who made sure they wouldn’t get attacked from behind.

They continued that way for some time, but then they hear a rumbling sound coming closer.

Andrew turned around and was the first to spot the cart, training down the rails they were walking on. 

“To the side!” he warned the other two, who jumped towards the walls and watched the cart go by.

It was filled with food, which looked fine to the three of them. They watched it disappear in the distance, confused.

Before anyone could comment though, they heard a familiar whip and Andrew made a choking sound.

Kevin turned around and saw Reece standing there, with crazy eyes and his whip around Andrew’s neck.

“You won’t get to leave Noradz alive,” he spats to the other two. “Clean Noradzeer!”

He tried to pull Andrew to the wall, but Andrew stood strong and got his hands on the whip, ready to pull.

Kevin pulled out his sword and Neil grabbed his knife. 

“Don’t even try,” Reece hissed, pulling his whip. 

Andrew took that opportunity however to pull Reece off balance and make him trip and fall. Kevin sliced his arm, because Neil got him in the stomach.

“That’s for what you’d done to us,” Neil said.

Reece tried to bring Neil down with him while he fell and released Andrew, but then his arm touched the mushrooms on the wall.

His eyes grew big. His screams were impossible not to hear, but as Reece stumbled around while green mushrooms started to grow all over his arm, he slipped and fell, sliding down the hill they were walking on.

The trio watched him go down and disappear as well, while his screams grew weaker and further away.

“Well, that was fun,” Neil said.

“I’m happy we found these suits,” Kevin said. “Otherwise we might have touched the mushrooms and went down.”

Andrew said nothing; his throat hurt.

They went down, where the mushrooms stopped growing and they found Reece’s dead body, covered in mushrooms and goo.

Matt hissed at him when Neil put off his suit, careful not to touch the outside of it.

“We should keep the suits,” Kevin said. “They might come in handy.”

“I’m not touching it again,” Neil said. “They smell awful and are heavy.”

Kevin shrugged and took Neil’s, gloves protecting him from whatever might be on the outside of the suit. 

Andrew gave his to Kevin as well and walked over to Reece, looking at his hand.

“Look,” he said hoarsely. 

The other two looked. 

On the back of Reece’s hand was a familiar mark, one that Kevin and Andrew knew well. Neil was more puzzled, but when he saw it resembled the mark on the Grey Guards, he too knew.

“Reece was working for the Shadow Lord,” Kevin said, examining the Shadowlord’s Brand; a black circle with a hand, which had an eye on it that send the message the Shadowlord was always looking and observing, be it from the Shadowlands.

Andrew decided not to dwell on it too much and dragged Kevin along to the exit, where warm sunlight came to greet them.

Neil sighed and twirled around for a bit, before getting back in quickly. 

“Ra-Kacharz,” he said when the other two gave him a weird look. “And they were doing something with a large carriage.”

Kevin and Andrew looked as well, carefully.

Neil was right. There were three Ra-Kacharz loading the food from the carts onto the carriage. In front of it were two Muddlets, probably to pull the carriage.

“Let’s jump on and see where it goes,” Neil said.

“Why?” Andrew asked. “Are you hungry?”

In the end, they jumped on anyways, because their curiosity was too big. When asked though, Andrew would blame Neil for being too reckless and curious, not him.

Dan cawed a few times above their heads when the carriage set in motion, and Neil silently told the other two she had been waiting on them to come out, was happy they were still alive and was going to follow them to wherever the carriage was going to bring them.

After that, they were silent for some time, too tired to speak anyways.

Neil stole an apple and silently ate it. Kevin was thinking about Marissa and the other people from Noradz and Andrew was swallowing all of the saliva his mouth would reproduce in the hopes of making his throat stop hurting.

“Do you think the Shadowlord is using the people of Noradz, using their fear of animals and filth against them?”

“Of course,” Andrew whispered, croaking just a little. “He uses everyone in this country, so it should actually not have surprised us Noradz was under his rule too.”

“But why?” Neil asked, feeding some of the apple to Matt. “To cook?”

“Probably.” Kevin shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t really care about his reasons. I just want to beat him to free Marissa and the other people from Noradz too.”

“Applause,” Andrew said.

“We still don’t know why they want to keep everything so clean though,” Neil commented. “I mean, maybe they’re afraid of animals, but why keep it clean?”

Before anyone could answer, Dan cawed.

“We’re there,” Neil said, frowning. “But why-”

Kevin shut him up by putting his hand to his mouth, because the two Ra-Kacharz riding the carriage started talking to someone.

Andrew looks outside, and then frowned as well. “This is Luther’s shop.”

Neil and Kevin looked as well, though Neil had already heard this from Dan. They were surprised to see the man talking animatedly with the two Ra-Kacharz, while his wife Maria offered them some drinks.

“Why is he being so friendly with them?” Kevin asked.

Andrew shrugged. “They’re customers.” And then, when he spotted another familiar sight: “And there are Grey Guards coming here.”

He was right. Five human-like Grey Guards with gray clothes, faces and flat eyes walked over to Luther, who greeted them enthusiastically.

“What is going on here?” Neil asked, but the other two had no answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Gee, this is quite a long chapter (almost seven pages in Word), but I'm really glad at how it turned out.  
Boy does Neil get choked a lot (it's his attitude). And hello again Luther. Doing good? (That's why I thought he'd fit this role perfectly, but those who know Tom from Deltora Quest knew already of course).  
Anyways, I really, really hope you enjoyed this chapter uwu  
Lots Of Love <3


	11. Cross the River

Neil, Andrew and Kevin watched Luther exchange pleasantries with the Ra-Kacharz and Grey Guards, while his wife Maria went back inside to grab some more drinks.

The Grey Guards stop in front of the Ra-Kacharz. Their leader spoke first, voice a little raspy: “You’re late!”

“We had some… unwanted visitors to take care of,” one of the Ra-Kacharz said. “But they’re gone now, so it won’t happen again.”

Luther looked between the two and smiles. “Did you have a nice trip though?”

“It better not happen again,” the Grey Guard said, ignoring Luther. “Or there will be consequences.”

The two Ra-Kacharz apologized.

“So the food goes to the Grey-Guards,” Kevin concluded. “But then what?”

“They bring it to Del,” Andrew said, remembering seeing a carriage enter the city from time to time and thinking of the palace. “It’s probably for the people in Del Palace.”

“Those thieves,” Kevin muttered. “There are people starving and fighting for scraps of food and none of this goes to them.”

“What did you expect? The Shadowlord isn’t kind to anyone.”

Dan cawed and made the trio freeze up.

“What’s that bird doing here?” one of the Grey Guards asked.

“We don’t know,” one of the Ra-Kacharz said. “But it has followed us all the way from Noradz to here, so I guess it’s after the food.”

Luther looked at Dan as well, making Andrew swear internally.

“He has seen Dan, hasn’t he,” Kevin said.

Neil said nothing and stared at the man, who looked directly at the carriage. Then Luther smiled.

“Why don’t we go inside? My wife has probably gotten something to eat for us there, and you can rest until you have to travel back.”

The Ra-Kacharz agreed eagerly, and the Grey Guards went along.

Maria looked at her husband and nodded once, after which she broke the news of the ‘stolen’ – sold out to the trio in the carriage, but none of them felt the need to correct her – Muddlets.

Luther meanwhile told them he needed to grab something first and waited for them to have disappeared before he turned his back to the carriage.

“To any rats who’d want to escape; your time is now, as I’m not looking and no-one else is around to notice you disappearing.”

Kevin, Andrew and Neil looked at each other. One by one they got out and hid in the bushes instead.

“Why is he helping us?” Neil asked.

Andrew and Kevin said nothing, watching Luther come closer and start to pick leaves from the bushes.

“These bushes need trimming, and I always do so by talking to myself,” he said, smiling deviously.

“You’re a traitor to your people,” Kevin said. “Greeting Grey Guards as if they’re old friends of yours.”

“Well, they aren’t, since everyone knows Grey Guards get replaced after some times, but let me ask you a question: who am I betraying?”

Neil scoffed. “You’d rat us out to the Grey Guards if it were in your best interest in a heartbeat.”

“I would,” Luther said, smiling. “But the fact that I didn’t says something, doesn’t it? You three are a special bunch. Also, you’d know why, don’t you little survivor?”

“How do you know that?”

“You look like one. Borrowed clothes, how you acted in my shop. I suggest you’d better trade those gray clothes for others, since most people think gray is a color that belongs to the Grey Guards.”

“I can wear whatever I want,” Neil muttered.

“Why?” Andrew asked.

Luther crumbled a leave between his fingers. “Why what?”

“Why didn’t you tell the Grey Guards we were here?” 

Luther stayed silent for some time. “You three are a special bunch.”

“You already said that.”

“Well, I mean it. You have something to do with Lola’s demise.”

Kevin frowned. “How did you figure?”

“You didn’t seem fazed when I told my other customer she was gone.”

That made sense. Andrew made a mental note to watch their facial expressions and reactions to things they heard. It might save their life one day if they manage to stay inconspicuous. 

“How do we know whether we can trust you?” Kevin asked, feeling like he had to make a point.

“You can.” Luther smiled. “I’m definitely trustworthy, for you know for sure I would do anything in my and my wife’s best interest. You should also know I’m a simple businessman, who takes no side but watches from afar and just goes where his business takes him. I won’t pick any side, since that wouldn’t benefit me and my business, so you can trust me to do anything to keep this up.”

Neil smiled. “You might not have picked a side yet, but soon will be the time you should. As you’ve said yourself, we’re a special bunch, set to change Deltora. So the time to pick a side comes closer and closer Luther, and you better trust that business-nose of yours to pick the right one, because if you do not, I will personally make your life a living hell.”

Luther laughed. “Well, you three should escape now that my wife and I distract our esteemed guests.”

He walked away, inside the shop. The trio waited for some time, then crawled over the floor towards the forest and ran, but since no-one came after them, they concluded Luther had kept his word and let them escape.

“Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Andrew said.

“I never want to see his face again,” Kevin said, fuming. “He hauls with the enemy! While also doing business with the Resistance! It’s simply outrageous.”

Neil rolled his eyes while hugging Dan close, who flew down as soon as they stopped to reunite with Matt and Neil for real.

“We have other things to worry about Kevin,” Andrew said. “So let’s continue our way and just forget about this.”

So they did and eventually they reached the Broad River.

“I understand where the name comes from,” Neil said, looking at the extremely wide river. “It’s huge.”

“We have eyes,” Andrew said. “So stop gawking and help me prepare dinner.”

“We’re not using the stuff we bought from Luther,” Kevin said.

Andrew and Neil looked at him, blank.

“Yes we are,” Andrew said. “What else did you want to eat? The sand?”

“I’d rather eat sand than whatever Luther has sold us.”

“Then go ahead,” Neil said, bringing over some water for the bread. “We won’t stop you.”

Kevin huffed. “I can’t believe you are doing this Neil! I thought we agreed Luther is a terrible person and-”

“I understand your reasoning and am completely on your side, ready to bash in his head whenever we’re done with this quest. But he did save our lives, and I know animals that wouldn’t have.”

“But Luther’s human!” Kevin protested. “He should know better! He should know right from wrong.”

“Have you never done something wrong then Mister Perfect?” Neil spat back. “Who are you to judge someone else’s actions? I stole your cloak and left you for dead when you first met me, and yet that’s alright because I returned, saved you and joined your quest and therefore your side?”

Kevin huffed, but said nothing and ate the bread he received from a smiling Andrew in silence.

They let the fire die out as they fall asleep one by one, and when they woke up the next morning, they spotted the large spot on the other side of the Broad River.

“The City of Rats!” Kevin said.

“Yeah,” Andrew mused. “But how do we get there?”

None of them knew. The cane and grass next to the small beach they slept on wasn’t sufficient to make a raft, and they knew better than to try swimming across.

“Wait,” Andrew then said, turning to his bag, looking for something.

He fishes a bottle out of his bag, with ‘Water Eaters’ on its side. 

“No,” Kevin said. “It’s from Luther’s, so-”

The other two had ignored him and were reading the instructions. Or well, Andrew was and Neil had received one of the small balls inside of it. 

“So, it says to throw it into the water and wait,” Andrew said, but then Kevin snatched it out of his hand.

“We’re not going to-”

Neil threw the Water Eater he had in his hand into the water. 

Kevin sighed. “Never mind.”

They waited. Nothing happened. The water stayed where it was and the Broad River didn’t shrink or anything.

Kevin looked triumphantly. Just when he was about to gloat about his victory, the water started to move weirdly.

Absolutely flabbergasted, the trio watched how a giant pillar appeared from under the water, sucking the water with it and creating muddy, but dry land.

Neil tested it. “You can just stand here. It’s a little muddy though, but still.”

“I take mud over water anytime,” Andrew said, grinning. “Kevin, throw another, a little further away this time. We need to make a path across.”

Kevin did, and that’s how they found themselves walking over the bottom of the river, boots getting muddy but none of them caring.

“So, I guess Luther’s products are useful,” Neil said, grinning.

Kevin huffed. “Fine! I’m not perfect.”

“Nope,” Andrew said, making the ‘p’ pop.

They continued forward, still not reaching the end.

“It’s hard to see when we’re there,” Neil said. “Dan!”

Dan cawed a few times.

“Oh, we’re over the halfway point,” Neil said, smiling.

Kevin didn’t smile though. He looked inside the bottle and found it almost empty.

“What?” Andrew asked, knowing Kevin well enough to know that face didn’t mean any good.

“We’re almost out of Water Eaters,” Kevin said, throwing another one.

Andrew cursed. “We’re not close enough yet to swim are we?”

Dan confirmed, so they debated for some time what to do now. Kevin suggested they’d return to the shore and try making a raft anyways, Andrew rejected it and said they’d better try and get another bottle, but Kevin said that’d take to long and pointed out the Grey Guards and Ra-Kacharz might still be lurking around. While they argued, Neil looked at Dan flying circles above them. An idea popped up in his mind.

“We could give Dan one and let her create a new dry piece of land, where we’ll swim to,” Neil suggested.

The other two stared at him, Kevin dumbfounded and Andrew with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

“That’s the smartest thing I have ever heard you say,” Andrew said. 

Neil gave him a foul look and wanted to respond, but then they heard something crack, break and water roaring, a series of noises that kept on going.

Dan cawed, but Neil couldn’t quite make it out due to the noise. She flew lower and then told him.

“The pillars are collapsing!” Neil said, but the other two had already seen it happen close to them.

“Throw another one!” Andrew shouted to Kevin, who dropped the bottle and grabbed it again, too late.

Neil quickly gave Matt to Dan and threw his bird into the air while Kevin and Andrew just braced for impact and hoped for the best.

The water hit them and one by one they lost consciousness.

Andrew woke up on a beach. He threw up some water and then heard Kevin cough as well. Neil was still unconscious when Andrew and Kevin had recollected themselves enough, but when Andrew lifted Matt off Neil’s chest – who had been yipping and jumping up and down continuously – the boy woke up coughing and also threw up some water.

“Well, at least we’re at the right side of the river,” Kevin said, looking at the City of Rats in front of them.

“Can we take a break first?” Neil said. “I’m tired.”

So they set up camp once again and made some bread to roast above the fire. They used the fire to dry their clothes, and since Neil was the only one without a spare shirt, he had to loan Kevin’s, which was too big for him.

“Why do you even have an orange shirt?” Neil asked while he sew the hem of the shirt shorter.

“I like orange,” Kevin said. “You have only gray clothes.”

“Well, that’s because I used to steal those from the Grey Guards.” Neil held up the shirt and examined it. “Can I keep it though? It would be nice to have a spare shirt.”

“Sure.”

Neil then bit his lip. “Okay, don’t ask any questions.”

He lifted his shirt and showed his chest, which had scars across of it.

Andrew noticed three big ones; one on his shoulder, and two across his stomach, but those looked like an animal made them, while the one on his shoulder must have been done by a human. There were a few smaller ones, and when Neil turned around Andrew saw one big one on his back as well, looking like a burn-mark. 

As promised, Kevin and Andrew didn’t ask or say anything, but Kevin looked horrified while Andrew had narrowed his eyes a little. Neil appreciated it and smiled, before starting on his dinner and sharing pieces with Matt and Dan, who asked him if he were truly okay with them knowing.

Andrew was the first to just pretend nothing had just happened, and when he kicked Kevin, Kevin snapped out of his trance as well and they ate dinner in silence.

After some time, Kevin spotted a dust cloud on the horizon, just to their right. He frowned. 

“Something’s coming,” he told the other two, who also turned to look.

Andrew cursed when the cloud came closer and it became visible what was causing it.

“Rats?” Neil asked, also frowning.

“Quick,” Andrew said, pulling the red suits from Noradz out of his bag. “Put these on. Maybe it will scare them off.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they’re terrified of the color red.” Neil rolled his eyes, but put the suit on nonetheless.

Not a moment too soon. The wave of rats hit them and it was only thanks to the suits they didn’t get scratched or even overruled, since many of the mice actually avoided them.

“Let’s get into the water!” Kevin said, pointing to the river.

Neil and Andrew followed him in, just like many of the rats, so Kevin grabbed the bottle of Fire Beads and threw one.

“I thought you hated Luther’s products?” Neil said teasingly, while wiping a rat off his shoulder.

Kevin just stared at him. He wanted to answer, but Neil’s gesture reminded him of Noradz, where they did a gesture that involved ‘wiping’ something off your shoulder.

A rat almost took a bite in his butt, but Andrew saved him by taking over the Fire Beads and setting the animal on fire with it.

After a long, long time, the rats were kept away by a wall over fire Andrew had created, and eventually all left or died because of it.

Neil dropped to his knees and laid on the ground. “I. Am. Done.”

Kevin slumped down as well, while Andrew first checked to make sure there were not threats hanging over them before sitting down next to his brother.

“I thought you liked animals,” Andrew said to Neil.

“Not all animals. I didn’t like Wenn or the Wennbar. Don’t like Muddlets anymore. Don’t like rats.”

“How dare you. You’re a forest junkie, you should love everything nature.”

Neil glared at him, but Andrew had already turned away to look at Kevin, who had been staring into the sand next to his shoes the whole time.

“Something wrong?” Andrew asked him, making Kevin look up a little startled.

“No, I was just thinking about something.”

“Enlighten us.”

Kevin nodded, thought for some more and then started explaining his theory. “Do you remember the greeting we had to repeat over and over in Noradz?”

“The idiotic swipe with the ‘Clean Noradzeer?’” Neil asked.

“So that’s a yes. When I saw Neil swiping off one of the rats off his shoulder, it got me thinking. What if it’s not just a random gesture? What if it’s like they swipe of rats off their shoulders?”

Andrew was impressed. Kevin actually made a really good point.

“I think you’re on to something,” Andrew said. “And it makes sense.”

“How?” Neil asked. 

Andrew sighed. “The people of Noradz probably belonged here in the City of Rats, many many years ago. The name of their new city is even a homophone for ‘No rats’: Noradz. I think the rats came in here one day and scared the people away.”

“And Ra-Kacharz is also a homophone,” Kevin added. “‘Rat-Catchers’, rat catchers. Like they… Got rid of the rats.” This made him a little upset, since that meant the people of Noradz were saved by servants of the Shadowlord.

“Oh!” Neil exclaimed. “And that weird greeting too: Clean Noradzeer, ‘Clean, no rats here’.”

“There’s also this huge symbol on top of one of the towers that’s actually the same one we saw all over in Noradz, just upside down.” Andrew pointed towards a tower, where indeed the weird symbol; the circle with a line on top, just with the line at the bottom instead of up. It kind of looked like a snake now.

“Maybe that’s why they were so obsessed with keeping everything clean,” Andrew also said. “They didn’t want any rats to come to their new city. And it’s also why that mouse of yours scared them so much.”

“Matt’s not a mouse nor a rat!” Neil huffed, hugging Matt closer. “He’s Matt, and he’s way nice than those nasty things.”

Matt hummed, probably agreeing with Neil.

“That’s not the issue!” Kevin blurted out, rolling his eyes. “The people from Noradz had been saved by the Shadowlord, because the Ra-Kacharz worked for the Shadowlord!”

Neil rolled his eyes. “You’re getting delusional. Rats don’t just randomly appear, especially not in masses. So the Shadowlord probably set the whole thing up and made them believe they were saved.”

Kevin didn’t know whether that was better or worse, but before he could comment on it, Neil continued.

“Besides, I wonder why the people of Noradz – or back then the people of the City of Rats – didn’t do anything about the plague. It must have grown really big to cause the people to flee the city.”

“So?” Kevin didn’t understand the issue. “The Shadowlord probably made them grow really big.”

“Yeah, and no-one noticed? I mean, they must have been blind.”

“It’s possible.”

“No, I cannot believe not a single person found this strange. They weren’t all being bewitched by the Shadowlord like our wonderful former monarchs.”

“How dare you speak about your kings and queens like that?!” Kevin berated him.

“What have they ever done for me?” Neil yelled back. “All they did was live happily behind their palace walls, without a care in the world! They did nothing to prevent whatever happened in the City of Rats, they didn’t do anything to stop Lola taking over D’Or, and they did nothing while Deltora fell in despair and decay!”

Kevin was shocked Neil believed this. He had of course agreed with the stranger at Luther’s shop, but Kevin had dismissed it as Neil being oblivious. This sounded like a heartfelt argument.

“They did nothing to make sure my mother didn’t have to flee, and they hadn’t even stopped the Shadowlord from taking over Deltora. So why do I have to believe they could do better?”

“Because-” Kevin searched for words. “Because this quest is about overthrowing the Shadowlord and putting the rightful heir on the throne!”

“Do we have to? Let another monarch rule I mean, not overthrow the Shadowlord, because that’s the sole reason I am in with you, apart from my mother telling me to.” Neil bit his lip and looked away. “Maybe Adin’s heir will be worse, who knows?”

Kevin thought for some time. “We do not,” he then admitted, “but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give it a try.”

Neil huffed. “And if we fail?”

Kevin didn’t know. He really didn’t. 

“Deltora will be doomed to live under the Shadowlord forever,” Andrew stepped in dryly. “So I guess we need to get going. So let’s get into the city and get this over with.”

Kevin and Neil agreed, and so the trio went into the City of Rats, where the third gem was hidden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Neil less scarred because in AFTG his father gave him most of his scars, and well, he wasn't around much, so only his mother and the animals in the forest could hurt our smoll bean.  
Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! They're at the City of Rats now!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  
See you next chapter uwu  
Lots of Love <3


	12. The King of Rats

As soon as they had set foot in the city, Kevin felt the Belt getting warm. He told the other two, whose faces got a little grim.

“I sure hope those rats aren’t the Guardian,” Neil said. “I really, really don’t want to meet them again.”

“But they seemed to like you,” Andrew said.

“_Keeeeeeeviiinn_,” an unfamiliar, but soothing voice said.

It came from the tower Andrew had pointed to earlier.

“Maybe we should go to that tower,” Kevin said. “I hear a voice coming from there.”

“Are the gems talking to you?” Neil asked.

“They can’t,” Andrew said, and he almost added ‘idiot’, but he just continued his sentence: “they’re inanimate objects, meaning they are not alive and conscious.” The ‘duh’ was fairly obvious in that sentence.

Neil scoffed. “Whatever, it could have been true. Magic and all you know?”

“Do you feel the presence of magic then?”

“Apart from the Belt around Kevin’s middle, yes. In the tower, in fact.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

“You wanted to point out something obvious to Neil,” Kevin said. “But before you comment on that, let’s just walk over there first.”

So they did. At the base of the tower, they find stairs, but Neil hesitated.

“I don’t know…” he said. “Can we trust that random voice only Kevin can hear?”

“Who knows?” Andrew said, and climbed the stairs.

Kevin looked at Neil, who just sighed and followed Andrew. Kevin closed their ranks, looking over his shoulder from time to time to see if those rats returned.

“I can’t see anything in here,” Andrew said, while they climbed higher and higher. 

“I can help with that!” Neil replied, and he grabbed something in Kevin’s bag.

All of a sudden, colorful bubbles spread in the staircase, popping one by one but lighting the way anyways. Neil grinned, happy like a child and blowing some more bubbles, laughing when they popped and staring in awe at the marvelous colors they shone in.

“The pipe-thingy,” Kevin said.

“Glowing Bubbles,” Andrew corrected him.

“Whatever.”

“Just making sure you use the right terminology.”

Kevin wanted to argue that, but then he heard that strange voice again. “_Keeviiiin, come heeere_.”

Kevin felt compelled to come over, and sped up, making Neil and Andrew look at each other frowning and then follow suit. 

The staircase led them towards a large but dark room that made their footsteps echo. 

“Hello?” Kevin called out. “Anyone here?”

His voice echoed a few times. Then: “_Hello Kevin. Nice to finally meet you_.”

“How did you know my name?” Kevin asked, stepping forward but still seeing nothing.

“Who are you talking to Kevin?” Andrew asked, while Neil blew some more bubbles.

The all popped, but they did reveal a large shadow in the back. Neil shivered.

“I sense a strange magic,” he told Andrew. “Kind of like the Belt, but… also kind of not.”

“That explains everything.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be more specific!” Neil hissed.

“_I am Reeah, the all-knowing. The Shadowlord’s Chosen One. The Opal, gifted to me by my master, showed me you were coming_.”

“So you have the Opal?” Kevin asked, making Neil and Andrew stop their bickering and turn towards Kevin.

“_I do_.”

“Can I have it?” Kevin asked politely. “We need it.”

“Kevin!” Neil hissed. “Something’s wrong!”

Kevin didn’t hear him. He only heard Reeah, the all-knowing, the Shadowlord’s Chosen One.

“_You cannot, for you have something me and my master want_.”

“Oh, okay.” Kevin stepped forward again, almost bumping into the large pillar that suddenly appeared in front of him if it weren’t for Andrew holding him back.

Andrew looked Kevin in the eyes, with the help of some Glowing Bubbles provided by Neil. The once-green eyes were glassy and seemed to be a less green color than Kevin’s eyes usually were.

“Something’s definitely wrong,” Neil said, while he hugged the trembling Matt hiding in his shirt.

Dan cawed, telling Neil the large shadow was coming closer and to use the bubbles again.

Reeah in the meantime, continued talking to Kevin. “_Give me the Belt. I want it_.”

“The Belt?” Kevin asked. “Sure!”

He lifted his shirt and wanted to grab the Belt, but Andrew pulled Kevin’s shirt down again while hissing: “What are you doing?!”

Neil had used the Glowing Bubbles again, revealing a large snake-like shadow in front of them. Something on its head glistened. He grabbed his knife, ready for a fight.

“Kevin!” Andrew said, harder this time, while his brother struggles against him. “Stop!”

“I have to give the Belt to Reeah,” Kevin told him, like Andrew was an idiot. 

“_Yes Kevin_,” Reeah said. “_Give it to me_.”

Kevin somehow managed to get a hold of the Belt, but because Andrew was still trying to force his shirt down, he accidentally touched the Topaz.

Andrew cursed. “Kevin! Never give the Belt to anyone! Remember what dad said?”

Kevin frowned, confused. “Of course I do. Why would I-”

He then saw what they were doing. This made Kevin even more confused.

“So you touched the Topaz,” a familiar voice then said.

Neil’s blown bubbles revealed it to be a huge, green snake with a golden crown on its head, where the Opal was situated, as the finishing touch. 

“It talks?!” Neil yelled confused. “How?”

“I am the Shadowlord’s Chosen One of course, so I’m the almighty one.” The snake – Reeah, Kevin suddenly remembered – looked over to Neil. “And the future holds bright things for you.”

Neil huffed. “Does said future involve killing you?”

“I am untouchable. I am the Shadowlord’s Chosen One, the almighty Reeah! You cannot possibly defeat me!”

“We’ve done that before you know,” Andrew said, shielding Kevin. “We killed sorceress Lola.”

“I knew you would. She’s a fool, a nobody pretending to be a big person. I am Reeah, the almighty, the Shadowlord’s Chosen one! Defeating me is impossible!”

Neil rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you let us give it a shot? Just for fun.”

“I will not be mocked!” Reeah shouted. “How dare you mock me!”

“My friends say I have a ‘wild tongue’.”

Andrew scoffed. “You’re favorite pastime is mouthing others off forest junkie. Your mouth runs before your mind or legs even do.”

“We all have our talents.”

“I wasn’t complimenting you.”

“Never thought that.”

“Guys!” Kevin said, as Reeah slit closer. “Plan!”

“Divide and conquer?” Andrew said.

“Hey Reeah! Your head’s ugly!” Neil shouted.

“Why are you like this?” Andrew questioned him, pulling Kevin along while running away.

Neil grinned as Reeah came closer to him. “You know, I think the Shadowlord doesn’t even care about you, that you’re just another servant to him.”

“He gifted me this kingdom,” Reeah said. “So of course he cares!”

“This isn’t yours. It’s from the people of Noradz.”

“So that’s where they are now hm? Did you know I helped to get them out of here?” Reeah sounded smug.

“I’m not all-knowing, all powerful, so no.” Neil wasn’t impressed.

“We go around,” Andrew instructed Kevin in the meantime, and he grabbed his knives. “And attack if from both sides.”

“We also need to grab his crown. It’s where the Opal is.” 

“You do that. Just be silent while sneaking up to him.”

Kevin nodded, grabbed his sword and they parted ways, while Neil continued to distract Reeah.

“Why don’t you tell me that wonderful story of how you drove all of those innocent people out of their city and homes for no reason but being a huge dick.”

Reeah huffed. “You’re an annoying one. I should kill you.”

“But you won’t,” Neil said. “Because you’re too vain to pass up the opportunity to brag about how great you are.”

Reeah hissed and attacked Neil with his tail, before either Andrew or Kevin could react to it.

Neil jumped back and hit Reeah with his knife, but the scales turned out to be impenetrable. He did manage to dodge the attack though, so the plan could continue. 

“How dare you mock me like I’m nothing! I’m Reeah, the-”

“Almighty Chosen One by the Shadowlord who uses you as a simple servant by putting you here, in this dead city.”

“I’m supposed to protect the gem! The all-powerful Opal, which lets me see the future!”

“I am so impressed.”

“You should be dead!” Reeah attacked again, but Neil dodged.

“Why did we let Neil do the distracting?” Kevin wondered silently, talking to Dan who flew closer to see how he was doing.

Dan didn’t answer, but Kevin knew for sure she wouldn’t know either if he could understand what she was saying.

Andrew in the meantime had found a perfect spot to hit Reeah in his stomach, where his scales were a different shade of green. He looked at Kevin, who was still sneaking up to Reeah on the other side, and then at Neil, who was trying to stay in one place while dodging Reeah.

He counted to ten, took a deep breath and ran forwards.

Unfortunately, Reeah had seen him coming somehow, as Andrew had to dodge the tail coming his way. Cursing, Andrew dropped himself on the ground, while the tail passed over him.

“FOOL!” Reeah shouted. “I AM THE ALL-POWERFUL, ALMIGHTY, THE SHADOWLORD’S CHOSEN ONE! YOU PESTS CANNOT DEFEAT ME!” He shrieked, an ear-killing experience.

Neil tried to attack too, but this gave Reeah the opportunity to fling him off, making Neil drop against a wall, groaning.

Kevin had grabbed the bottle of Fire Beads and threw it towards Reeah, but he missed and set a pillar on fire. 

Reeah screamed. “NO! MY HOME!”

Andrew ran away from the fire, missed Reeah’s tail coming for him and was almost smashed against Neil, who had just gotten up and dodged the Andrew-projectile coming his way just in time.

Kevin cursed, dodged Reeah’s tail and missed his mouth. Kevin’s scream filled the entire room as he was lifted up.

Reeah’s poisoned teeth did nothing but injure his arm though, as the Ruby protected him against the snake’s venom. Didn’t mean it protected him from Reeah’s other weapons though.

“Kevin!” Andrew and Neil yelled as Kevin was thrown into the air, dropping his sword.

Kevin couldn’t do anything, flying in the air. But just before Reeah could swallow him, Neil jumped in.

Neil had caught Kevin’s sword, and while an unknown feeling in his stomach – or no wait, he did recognize it from the fight with Lola – built up, Neil jumped towards Reeah’s body and attacked. The sword slit right through, glowing a little while it killed Reeah, who screamed from the pain.

So Kevin dropped onto the floor, and the last thing he felt was an indescribable pain all over his body before losing consciousness.

When Kevin woke up again, he saw Andrew and Neil hanging over him, looking worried. Behind them was a blue sky with just one cloud of smoke, which made Kevin even more confused.

“Thank Adin it worked,” Andrew said. “Kevin, don’t drop from huge heights again okay? You almost died!”

Kevin’s mind was fuzzy, he couldn’t remember and didn’t understand what Andrew was talking about, but then he saw Neil put away a very familiar bottle.

“You used the Nectar from the Lilies of Life,” he said.

Neil nodded. “We beat Reeah, but then the fire made the whole room start to collapse and rats burst in, eating Reeah’s oh so great body and probably all feeling like ‘almighty Chosen Ones’ now, so we had to get out.”

All of a sudden Kevin remembered. He bolted up right, which made his head feel wonky. “Did you grab it?”

Andrew and Neil exchanged glances.

“Grabbed what?” Andrew asked.

“Reeah’s crown,” Kevin said. 

“We did not,” Neil said, smiling a little.

Kevin was devastated. “We need to go back! We have to grab the Opal before those rats-”

“Idiot,” Andrew said, confusing Kevin.

Neil started to laugh, and Andrew smirked at Kevin.

“We didn’t grab the crown, but we did get this little thing here.” He held up the Opal, whose rainbow colors looked even brighter out in the daylight like this.

Kevin looked at the both of them sourly. “How dare you scare me like that!”

“We just did,” Andrew said, giving the Opal to Kevin.

Kevin huffed and accepted it, but before he could make a remark, he blacked out and suddenly, he was in an isolated, windy area with a lot of sand, blowing all around him. A weird, buzzing sound surrounded him and Kevin closed his ears. He looked around once more and started shouting: “ANDREW! NEIL!” No-one responded.

Kevin snapped out of it, just when Andrew touched his shoulder and said his name. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Neil asked. “Do you need some more nectar? That will mean the bottle is empty though.”

“N-no.” Kevin stared at the Opal, which seemed to blink at him innocently.

“You saw something,” Andrew concluded.

Kevin said nothing, which was all the conformation Andrew needed.

He sighed. “Listen, whatever you saw, it’s not a permanent future. The Opal might show the future, but it’s also the gem of hope, remember?”

Kevin remembered. He was still scared out of his mind, so he just put it on the Belt quickly and put on his gloves.

“And you know?” Neil decided to add to the conversation. “Wherever we have to go next, it won’t be more dangerous than we’ve already been through!”

“Don’t jinx it,” Andrew said. “The Shifting Sands are a dangerous and mysterious place.”

Kevin just smiled as the two of the continued to bicker, and he pet Matt, who came over to support him too. They had already made it this far after all, and that in of itself was great enough to be proud of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELL YEAH! BOOK 3 IS FINISHED!!!  
They made it! The third gem is in their pocket!!!  
The anime did some really weird and questionable things in this episode, so I followed the book more closely here. I won't spoil what the anime did in case some of you want to watch it sometime soon, but believe me when I say I did NOT agree with it, so yeah.  
Also, I love writing Neil being a mouthy asshole. He may be smoll, but he doesn't give a damn.   
Also also, with book 3 finished, we can go on to book 4!! MY FAVORITE!!!!!!  
And I'm sure you'll love this fic's version as well, because I took some creative liberties and made it even more awesome than it already was. It is also the one with the most chapters covering it, up 'till now. (Book one had three chapters, book 2 four, and book 3 five). So yeah, that's something to look forward to.  
Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and I'll see you in two weeks with the next!  
Lots Of Love <3


	13. Good Luck? Bad Luck?

As the trio traveled away from the City of Rats towards the Shifting Sands, the smoke of the fire they had caused followed suit, making Kevin worry.

“I sure hope no-one will notice that,” he said.

“Like no-one noticed Lola’s disappearance?” Neil asked.

Kevin wanted to answer, but then a screech filled the skies and Dan flew down cawing.

“Something is flying over towards us,” Neil translated. “Something ugly.”

Andrew turned around and cursed. “An Ak-Baba!”

Kevin cursed as well, pulling a confused Neil with him as he started to run.

“We need to hide!” Andrew yelled, and he pointed towards a hill. “We can hide on the other side of that hill!”

Kevin turned around again, and the Ak-Baba was gaining speed, catching up to them. They wouldn’t be able to reach the hills in time – or well, Kevin and Andrew wouldn’t; Neil could run really hard – so he caught up on Andrew and pulled him down, along with Neil, pulling his cloak over them.

“Well, this is nice,” Neil commented on the three of them laying really close underneath the cloak.

“Shut it. Ak-Baba’s are the Shadowlord’s servants, and if one spots us, we’re done for,” Kevin said.

Neil shrugged. “It just looked like a gigantic, featherless bird to me.”

“You really know nothing, do you?” Andrew asked. “Don’t answer, it’s a rhetorical question, a questions that doesn’t need answering in case you didn’t know about that either.”

“I did know about that! And no! Apart from fighting, surviving and magic I know nothing! My mother taught me all I know, remember?”

Kevin sighed. “Well, it seems like we’ll be stuck here for a while anyways, so why don’t Andrew and I tell you about our father and the day Deltora fell.”

“I’m all ears.”

So Kevin started off telling the story he had heard from Wymack when he and Andrew first started this quest, about Wymack and Thannah and how they grew apart, about how Wymack saved Thannah, Anna, Clara and the destruction of the Belt, of Thannah and Clara and Anna going into hiding and Wymack losing contact.

Neil listened, silent the whole time Kevin told him and Andrew sometimes provided information Kevin left out.

When they were done, the Ak-Baba was long gone, so they could come out safely now.

“That’s… rough,” Neil said, frowning a little. “So your father was the first to go out and see Deltora for how it really was as one of the people living in the palace?”

“He was,” Kevin said.

“And he was supposed to do this quest and safe Deltora, but then you were born, Andrew was found and he was injured, so he decided to ask you two to do it in his stead?”

“Yes, but we already told you about that,” Andrew said. 

“Whatever.” Neil sighed. “It’s just… weird. Both our parents have had a huge influence on our lives, but in a different way with different outcomes.”

“Wow, since when are you so philosophical?”

Neil glared at Andrew. “Anyways, I sure hope we can continue so we can go grab some food somewhere, I’m hungry.”

“Hopefully we’ll encounter a city or town,” Andrew mused. “We need more money too.”

“So let’s go!” Kevin said, and they went.

A few hours later, their stomachs were rumbling and the forest had no food supplies except for some poisonous berries. 

“The trees to say there’s an apple farm close by,” Neil tells the other two after listening to a tree by putting his forehead against its trunk. “But for some reason he advises us not to go there.”

“We kind of have no choice, if we want to live another day,” Andrew said, so they continued forward and indeed stumbled upon the apple trees from the apple farm.

“Great!” Kevin plucked one and gave it to Andrew.

Neil put his forehead against the trunk again, frowned and turned to the other two. “Something’s up.”

Before he could explain however, a loud, female voice shouted: “THIEVES!”

A swarm of bees surrounded them. The trio froze up, and a brown haired lady with a sturdy body, glasses and brown eyes appeared.

“How dare you steal my apples!” She bellowed. “Give them back!”

“That’s kind of impossible,” Kevin tried. “We- uh. Ate them.”

The woman went pale. “How- How dare you! Thieves!”

Neil yelped as one of the bees got closer, but he didn’t move from his spot.

“Who are you?” Andrew asked.

The woman smiled. “My name is Betsy, but I’m more known as Queen Bee.” She giggled. “And as a repayment for eating my apples, I will ask each of you a question you have to answer.”

“No thank you,” Neil said. “I did not eat or even touch a single apple, so I should not have to pay up for it.”

“You are friends with these two right? And you were almost hugging one of my trees for some reason, so I think you should pay!”

“Me too,” Andrew said softly. “But then for trying to rabbit away.”

“Don’t you dare make a new nickname for me.”

“Forest junkie rabbit is too long, so no.”

“Stop whispering!” Betsy bellowed, and the bees got closer. “Not let’s see…”

Kevin decided to step in. “Miss we really are sorry; if we had known these were your trees, we would surely have asked you for permission, but we were very hungry you see, and-”

“Oh spare me your nice-talk,” Betsy said, giggling. “Now. Where are you headed?”

None of the trio wanted to answer, making Betsy sigh.

“It’s the easiest question one could ask.” She glared at them. “And yet you do not want to answer.”

The bees got closer, making the trio shuffle closer as well.

“So what are you hiding? It’s not good for your well-being to keep secrets you know? Especially the dark ones, the ones with feelings that will stay bottled up forever.”

The bees inched closer again, showing them their stingers.

“You know what?” Neil then said, grabbing the money-bag – Neil’s moneybag – dangling off Andrew’s belt. “Here!”

He threw the money towards Betsy, who caught the bag and inspected it’s contents.

“Well why didn’t you do this sooner?” Betsy laughed. “I wouldn’t have to scare you if you had just given me this money. It might have traumatized you now, and we don’t want that now do we?”

“Then why do it in the first place?” Neil muttered.

Betsy didn’t hear. The bees returned to her, flying around her like a buzzing cloud.

Somehow, this buzzing sounded familiar to Kevin, but he couldn’t quite remember where he might have heard it before.

“Well, have a nice day gentlemen!” Betsy wanted to walk away, but Andrew stopped her.

“Wait! Queen Bee!” 

She turned around, smiling sweetly. “Yes?”

“How do you do that?” Andrew asked, pointing towards the bees. “Control them?”

Betsy giggled. “Well, it might have to do with my name, but if I’m being real and honest…” She leaned a little closer, as if she was whispering a secret to them. “I use smoke to control them.”

Andrew nodded. “We’re from Dell, and we’re heading towards… the general direction of Rithmere.”

Betsy nodded. “See? Was it that hard to tell me?” She smiled. “And now get off my land, before I have to scare you again with my bees.”

The trio wouldn’t let her tell them twice.

“That was weird,” Neil said when they reached a road. “She’s a weird lady.”

“You idiot!” Andrew smacked Neil up the head. “You just gave her all of our money. Apples aren’t worth that much!”

“I panicked!”

“Afraid of bees?”

“Of course not! I just didn’t like the situation and wanted to get out!”

“Stop bickering!” Kevin shouted. “Listen, this road leads towards Rithmere, and there we can make some money. So why don’t we go to Rithmere and think of ways to make money.”

“We can sell the idiot giving away all of our money,” Andrew suggested.

“We’re not going to sell anyone!” Kevin sighed. “That’s wrong!”

“I didn’t give her all of our money,” Neil said, grinning.

He pulled out one golden coin out of his pouch. “See?”

Andrew sighed. “You cannot buy a meal for three people with one golden coin.”

“I wouldn’t know, but at least it’s something.”

Kevin agreed and they continued their way towards Rithmere in silence.

“Are there different ways to make money by the way?” Neil then asked. “I mean, I think they’re made of metal, and that needs to be melted, so there’s really only one way to make money.”

Kevin sighed, whereas Andrew snorted.

Then Kevin started explaining the economy to Neil, who regretted asking as soon as Kevin begun his lecture, making Andrew snort a second time.

He turned away and saw a big crowd in the distance, making him frown. The road had been relatively empty, but now there was an entire crowd. What were all those people doing there?

Neil was happy with the distraction and ran over, pushing his way through the crowd and being mistaken for a child trying to get up front.

“I’m fifteen,” he told one man, who asked him where his parents were.

The man shut up after that.

Neil got up front and saw a man sitting at a table, with a bird who spun the wheel on top of it.

“Ah! A young contestant! Do you want to try your luck in this incredible game of Beat the Bird?!” the man asked Neil, grinning widely.

Neil raised his eyebrow, and Andrew and Kevin joined him to look at the table.

“You can put any money on the table.” The man pointed towards the numbers on the wheel. “And when you guessed right, you get the amount of money you put in times the number you were betting on! And if it lands on the bird-” the man pointed towards the drawing of the same bird that spun the wheel, which appeared four times on the wheel, “-you win this lovely wooden carving of a bird! So, what do you say?”

Neil said nothing, so the man just ordered the bird to spin the wheel.

“If I had put any money on,” Neil murmured towards Andrew and Kevin, “I would have put it on that number.” He pointed towards the four.

Andrew and Kevin then remembered Neil couldn’t read or write, but before either of them could point anything out, the wheel stopped. The needle pointed towards the four.

“Oh! You would have won four times the amount of money you put on if you had bet!” The man glared at his bird. “You’re trying to make me lose money huh? You stupid bird.”

Neil frowned, and Andrew rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he said, but Kevin actually wanted to try now.

“One round,” Kevin said. “All or nothing.”

“We’ll lose all of our money if you bet.”

“We’ll have to make some in Rithmere anyways, so it doesn’t really matter.” 

Neil smiled sweetly. “Are you afraid to bet?”

“Don’t be!” The man said. “Life isn’t any fun without taking a chance or two!”

Andrew sighed. “Fine. Put it on whatever number you like.”

Kevin and Neil chose the ten. They watched the wheel spin, heard the people cheer and the man laugh, and then it fell on the bird.

Kevin was actually a little disappointed, but Neil didn’t care about it.

“Well, we tried and it was fun. Can’t win it all, can we?”

“You have not lost anything good sir!” The man grinned and gave Neil a wooden bird. “You have won this beautiful bird!”

Neil accepted it, put it in his pouch and they continued their way.

“Dan?” Andrew asked when they were at a safe distance from the crowd. “Could you be a dear and remove the tablecloth?”

Dan cawed and did as Andrew had asked from her, revealing a peddle that made the man influence the outcome of his game; revealing his scam.

Andrew grinned smugly, as he had figured that out a long time ago, while the crowd started to demand their money back and fight each other over the money laying on the ground.

Neil shook his head as Dan returned to him, cawing triumphantly, and Kevin was a little disappointed and wondered why people couldn’t be honest to each other.

“Kevin, you’ll get even more ugly if you frown any longer, so quit pouting and put it to rest,” Neil told him.

Kevin sighed, Andrew shook his head and they continued their way to Rithmere, ignoring the fight behind them.

Rithmere was buzzing. So something had to be going on. The only reason people in Del would crowd like this, was if there was any money or food to be gained, or when the Shadowlord had to show off again and called for a public meeting or something.

So when Kevin and Andrew saw actual happy faces and a huge market with shouting people and laughing children, they were surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless. 

“So this is what a city looks like?” Neil asked.

Kevin and Andrew remembered he grew up in a forest and didn’t know about this. Sometimes Neil just made them forget. Sometimes he slapped them in the face with that fact.

“Kind of,” Kevin said. “It’s not what I remember from Del though, so I guess every city is different.”

Neil didn’t react. Instead, he stared at a black girl with long, curly black hair, deep, brown eyes and a lean but muscled body, with long, thick legs and chiseled arms. She wore a blue dress with darker blue pants underneath, had a yellow hairband in her hair to keep it out of her eyes and was performing acrobatic tricks to the crowd, with a hat with money laying in front of her.

“Do you think we can make money like that too?” Neil asked, when he saw people throw money into the girl’s hat when she did a summersault.

“I didn’t know you were an acrobat,” Andrew said. “For me and Kevin sure aren’t.”

Neil shrugged. “I think I’m agile enough to perform some tricks, and growing up in the forest has taught me a few nice tricks, so I think I can do some.”

“Go on then, showdog.”

“I thought it was junkie?”

“You wanted to show off.”

Kevin completely missed this bickering, which made Andrew and Neil turn around to see what kept him from scolding them for fighting in the first place. Kevin was still staring at the girl, who was continuing her show and actually winked at Kevin when she spotted him.

“Oh Adin spare me,” Andrew said, tugging Kevin along. “We’re on a mission; we have no time for nonsense like that.”

Kevin got out of his trance. “Like what?”

“You eyeing that girl!”

“She’s pretty!”

“So what?”

Kevin huffed. Neil was a little confused as to what that was about, but he decided not to ask and just frown at the two. This meant he completely missed the giant in front of him, bumping into the guy while walking away from the acrobat.

“Watch where you’re walking punk!” The guy shouted.

Neil scoffed. “Well I’m sorry! You don’t need to shout at me like that!”

The guy was at least twice Neil’s size, both in height and muscle-mass, which was what the guy seemed to consist of. A whole lot of muscle with a skin suit; broad shoulders, broad chest, thick arms and legs and not to mention a strong jaw and a head that could probably break rocks. The guy would probably do that too, if it wouldn’t get stuck in his black hair.

Neil didn’t seem to be scared by him looming over, raising a single eyebrow when the guy silently growled.

“I shout whenever I want little kid.” The guy said in a low and threatening voice.

Kevin wanted to grab Neil and get out of here, apologizing on the way, but Andrew drew him back, probably to see how Neil would get destroyed by this guy.

“And I think you shouldn’t. It would damage your honey voice you know?” Neil smiled sweetly.

“I’m at least twice your size. I could break you in half like the little branch you are.”

“Funny you should make that comparison; I was just about to say I’ve seen rabbits more scary than you are.”

“I think that’s Neil’s trump-card,” Andrew whispered to Kevin. 

The guy had a vein growing on his head, making Neil chuckle.

“I’m sorry, did I offend your delicate feelings?” Neil wanted to add something, but then Kevin decided to step in anyways and broke free from Andrew.

“I’m so sorry for his behavior, goodbye!” Kevin pulled Neil along, grabbed Andrew and got out as soon as possible. 

“Why did you step in?” Neil asked.

“Because I wasn’t about to go see my friend get murdered.”

“Aw, are you getting sentimental?” Andrew teased him, making Kevin growl at him.

“Let’s not antagonize any more people, got it Neil?” Kevin looked pointedly.

“Why me? Andrew always antagonizes me!”

“Andrew, stop fighting with Neil. Now let’s find a way to make some money.”

“Maybe we should start with finding a place to sleep, unless you’d like to sleep on the streets.” Andrew freed himself from Kevin’s grasp when the latter stopped walking, making the other two stop as well and join him.

“You have any ideas?” Neil asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I have one,” Kevin said, pointing to a pamphlet on the board they were standing next to.

On it was the text: ‘Rithmere Games; Come on, come all! Test your strength and skill! 100 gold coins TO EVERY FINALIST! 1000 gold coins TO THE GRAND WINNER!’

Neil waited for Kevin to read it to him, after which he grinned. “We can do that. We just each go to the finals and win three times 100 coins!”

“Seems doable,” Kevin said, smiling. “Andrew? What do you say?”

“We need to find an inn.”

“Read further.”

Andrew read some more, and when Neil started nagging him to read it out loud, he did: ‘The Champion’s Inn; Bed and Bread for every competitor of the Rithmere Games’.

“We’ll get to earn some money and we’ll be able to stay someplace during the night.” Kevin smiled. “So we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”

Neil glared at Kevin for choosing that particular phrasing, even though he knew it was just an expression. Kevin ignored Neil and looked at Andrew, who sighed.

“Fine. We’ll go have a look at this Champion’s Inn then.”

The Champion’s Inn was easy to find, so the trio got in and found the entrance hall was empty.

“Hello?” Kevin asked. “Anyone here?”

Neil had found a bell and rung it.

Not much later, a small, blonde woman stepped in from behind, smiling with her too-perfect teeth and shining, blue eyes.

“Hello! I’m Mother Kathy, the keeper of the Champion’s Inn. How can I help you?”

The trio looked at each other. 

“We’d like a chamber for the night please,” Kevin then said, as he usually interacted with people better than Andrew and Neil did (Andrew being either indifferent or sarcastic and Neil antagonizing everyone he didn’t like).

“Are you competitors of the Rithmere Games?”

“We-uh, don’t know where to sign up for the Rithmere Games to be honest.” Kevin put on his best smile. 

Mother Kathy smiled back even brighter. “Then you’ve come to the right place! Just let me handle it, okay? I’ll get you to be true competitors to the Rithmere Games in no time! Follow me please.”

They followed her back, albeit a little hesitant. Mother Kathy seemed like a generous person, but their travels have learned them to be careful (Kevin shuddered at the thought of Jin and Jod’s trap).

The back was just a room with a huge closet filled with all kinds of weapons, a measuring line and a desk with papers and blue armbands on it. Mother Kathy sat behind the desk and pointed to the closet.

“I’d like you to remove your weapons and put them over there; weapons are not allowed in the Rithmere Games, for we will provide those for you in the matches.”

Kevin obliged, Neil followed hesitantly and Andrew just crossed his arms.

Mother Kathy didn’t notice it yet; she was writing something down in a book that was beneath the heap of papers. Neil nudged Andrew to remove his bands, but Andrew just glared at him.

“I’m excited to see new contestants. It’s always a great joy to see the Rithmere Games attract all kinds of people.” She looked up and when she saw Andrew’s bands she sighed. “I am serious about the no-weapon rule. So please just remove them.”

Andrew huffed and got his knives out; he didn’t remove the bands.

“Ah well, thank you very much.” Mother Kathy abandoned her desk and put their weapons in the closet. “I promise you I will personally take care of and look after your weapons. Now, if you’d please, I’d like to know your names and where you are from.”

Kevin wanted to answer for them, but Andrew was faster.

“I’m Cedar,” he started. “And the big, black-haired guy behind me is… Beetle. And the redhead is Rabbit. We’re from Bushtown.”

Neil resisted rolling his eyes, while Kevin sighed softly and decided to just go along with it.

Mother Kathy giggled. “How odd. I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a small place,” Kevin provided her. “Not a lot of people live there.”

“I can only imagine. Now, next question; what are your special abilities?”

The trio glanced at each other.

“Well…” Kevin looked at Neil. “N-Rabbit is quite fast and agile.”

“I’m good at climbing trees,” Neil said, trying to help. “And Cedar is quite strong.”

“Ah, so Rabbit, you’re Agile and Cedar is Strong.” Mother Kathy glanced at them. “To be honest, I wouldn’t have guessed that Cedar. You look, and I am sorry if I am in any way offending you, quite small.”

Andrew gritted his teeth and forced himself to smile. “That’s what always gets them. But I assure you I am quite strong, as Rabbit has already pointed out.”

“I believe you!” Mother Kathy turned to Kevin. “And you Beetle?”

“He can think really fast and is a great swordsman,” Andrew said.

Kevin bit back a sarcastic comment. _Aw, are you getting sentimental too Andrew?_

“I’ll put him under Speed then.” Mother Kathy giggled again. “Quite a diverse trio you are then! I have high hopes for the three of you.”

“Thank you,” Kevin said, smiling.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me; I have to prepare your rooms. If you could wait for me in the entrance hall that would be nice.” Mother Kathy pointed to the room they came in and walked away.

Neil waited for her to be gone and turned to Andrew. “Why did you pick ‘Rabbit’ to be my name?”

Dan cawed and landed on Neil’s shoulder, as if she wanted to ask the same. 

“It’s the first thing that came to mind,” Andrew said. “Why? Do you feel insulted?”

“Of course I do! Not that I have anything against rabbits, but you use it as an insulting name to me and now it’s my fake name!”

“And I am convinced it suits you.”

Mother Kathy returned before Neil could react, so he just burned with anger when she led them to the dining hall.

And there, all the others turned to look at them, making Kevin feel a little embarrassed, Andrew weirded out and Neil like he was being judged, but he soon saw a few familiar faces.

First was the one of the brute he bumped into, who was wolfing down some meat and glared at Neil, who glared back. 

The second was the acrobat, who was sipping on some yellowish drink and smiled at them. When Kevin noticed her while they walked to the only empty table in the room, he blushed, smiled back and waved awkwardly before sitting down.

“Oh my,” Andrew said softly when they saw the third person. “This might be interesting.”

The third was the Resistance-guy they had encountered in Luther’s shop, the brown-haired, blue-eyed guy with a scar ion his left cheek. 

“I still hate him,” Neil said. “Even more than I hate you Andrew.”

“Who’s Andrew?” Andrew said, grabbing a piece of bread on their table.

“Whatever. I hate him more than I hate you Cedar, though it’s close.”

“I’ll take that compliment.”

Kevin rolled his eyes and watched how Mother Kathy gave them some cups with yellowish drinks in it.

“What’s this?” he asked, a little cautious.

“It’s Queen Bee Cider!” Mother Kathy said happily. “It’s quite popular around here. It strengthens the body and mind and tastes exquisite. Try some to regain some strength!”

Kevin tried some. It was… sweet. Like honey, but different. He decided to like it and drank some more.

Andrew absolutely loved it. It was even tastier than chocolate and made his body buzz a little.

Neil hated it. He took one sip, frowned, pulled a face and gave his cup to Andrew, who happily took it. 

“Ew,” Neil said, gulping down some water. “It’s disgusting.”

“You have no taste,” Andrew said. “But maybe we should expect that much from a forest junkie.”

Neil glared at Andrew and fed Matt and Dan some bread and berries. He really didn’t want to fight now, especially since his nerves were already on the edge.

Maybe participating wasn’t that good of an idea. Something nagged him, but he couldn’t quite get why. 

So Neil decided to let it go, ate and drank with the others and got to their rooms, as Kevin had received the keys from Mother Kathy when they entered the dining room, along with a blue armband that marked them as competitors and they couldn’t take off, no matter the circumstance.

It itched a little under his armpit, but those irritations quickly vanished when he heard footsteps following them when they walked up the stairs to their bedroom.

“Guys,” Neil said, tugging Kevin at his shirt. “We’re being followed.”

Kevin and Andrew immediately stopped walking and looked downstairs as well. A shadow crept back in the hall.

Andrew scoffed. “No use standing around like idiots then, right?”

He was right, but that didn’t mean they didn’t stand around for just another minute, just in case. For who would follow them and for what reason?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter mother Kevin, scolding his two kids for antagonizing the wrong people. (Sorry, that was the first thing that came to my mind when writing the scene where Neil bumped into that grumpy dude [you'll find out who he is soon enough, but guesses are welcome] and Kevin pulled him and Andrew along, and it made me laugh really hard).  
Also, making Betsy Queen Bee has nothing to do with their characters, just the nickname; and don't you think Kathy has the perfect role as Mother Brightly? I sure as heck do.  
Anyways, thanks for reading and see you in two weeks!!!  
Lots Of Love <3


	14. The Rithmere Games

They walk into the hall upstairs, towards their room. Neil listened very carefully if someone followed them again, for he did feel like someone was watching them.

Andrew kept his eyes on the front, knowing he should count on Neil to tell them something was wrong again, but he couldn’t help but feel itchy and naked without his knives.

Neil heard something rustle again. He grabbed Kevin’s shirt in warning, who tapped Andrew on the shoulder, but before any of them could react, the lights flickered out.

In complete darkness, Kevin needed a few seconds to adjust before he was pushed against Andrew, who had turned around and caught his brother, someone yelped, someone kicked Kevin’s legs and then, all of a sudden, the lights were on again.

Neil was on the ground, groaning, so Kevin and Andrew rushed over.

“Are you alright?” Kevin asked when Neil sat up and he knelt next to the boy.

Neil grinned and showed his nails. “I scratched whoever attacked us with my nails. And I got him pretty good.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Oh Adin. And he knocked you over?”

“No, I tripped over Kevin’s legs trying to go after the guy.”

“You truly are an idiot.”

“At least I did something against our attacker!”

“If you think so.”

Kevin pat his pockets. “Guys, he took our key.”

“What?” Neil and Andrew said simultaneously.

“...Never do that again. I don’t have it anymore! So he must have stolen it to break into our room.”

“But why?” Andrew couldn’t get it. “Why would someone go through so much trouble to break into our room?”

“Maybe he wants to kick us out of the competition?”

“That’s low Neil,” Kevin said.

“Who’s Neil?” Andrew asked, making Kevin roll his eyes.

“I have no clue,” Neil said. “Let’s just go into our room and barricade the door or something like that.”

Kevin then noticed a piece of paper laying on the floor, next to where Andrew had caught him. He grabbed it and read what was on it. And those words made his blood boil with anger.

“What’s on this?” Neil asked, trying to read.

“We have to learn you how to read one day,” Andrew said. “It says: ‘do not try to win tomorrow or you will regret it’, in bold, capital letters.”

“That’s just infuriating!” Kevin said. “Someone’s trying to scare us out of the competition! How dare they!”

“I just wonder why. We don’t seem to be that big of a threat now do we? Mother Kathy didn’t think so at least.”

“She just said she wouldn’t have put you under Strength,” Neil said. “And I just think that whatever is going on here, we should be careful. Just get the money and get out of here. If we get hurt we might not be able to continue our journey.”

The others silently agreed, so when they entered their room, they shove every piece of furniture they could find against the door. All except for the beds.

Neil took the one at the window, Kevin the one next to him and Andrew took the one closest to the door.

“Sleep well I guess,” the redhead said while putting Dan and Matt under the covers.

Andrew grunted and Kevin bade them a good night as well before closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

None of them slept well. While Kevin and Andrew removed the furniture from the door, Neil tried to wake a sleepy Matt while trying not to fall asleep himself.

“What in Adin’s name…” Kevin tried the door again, but it was locked.

Andrew bumped against it with his shoulder, but it was no use, so he just started to shout for help.

Neil in the meantime, caught up with the events and went to the window, opening it and looking down.

The jump down would not be smart, unless they wanted to break both their legs, but the jump to the other roof was… doable.

“We can try jumping to the other roof,” Neil said, and he jumped up the windowsill.

Right that moment, something clicked and their lock sprung open, revealing a panting Mother Kathy on the other side.

“Oh,” she puffed. “There you- you are.”

“Mother Kathy!” Kevin said, while Neil joined them. “We’re happy to see you!”

“Me too!” She smiled. “I missed you at breakfast, so I was wondering what had happened to my three favorite contestants.”

Andrew huffed, Neil used Kevin to shield his rolling eyes and Kevin just smiled politely.

“Well, we were locked up as you can see. Last night, someone attacked us in the hallway and took our room key, but we thought someone wanted to attack us while we slept; not lock us up.”

“How horrible!” Mother Kathy sounded both angry and sad. “It’s a shame this had to happen in my inn. I promise, it won’t happen again.”

Andrew raised his eyebrow, but Mother Kathy ignored it and put on a warm smile.

“How about I give you an amazing and quick breakfast and get you to the games myself? To compensate for the events this morning.”

“That would be nice,” Kevin said before any of the others could offer a sarcastic reply.

In the dining hall, Mother Kathy provided them with a nice breakfast, along with some more Queen Bee Cider. Neil passed his to Andrew again, drinking water and feeding bits of his breakfast to Dan and Matt.

“You know, from the moment I saw you three come in, I knew you would be a special bunch.” Mother Kathy refilled Kevin and Andrew’s cups with some more Cider and smiled fondly. “And apparently someone else caught up on that too. You three might make it to the finals, I know for sure!” She squeezed Neil’s cheek, who looked at her offended and rubbed his cheek when she let go.

“That’s nice of you,” Kevin replied.

Mother Kathy smiled and pat his head. “Now hurry along boys! You better not be late for the Games!”

So they hurried their breakfast inside and along with Mother Kathy, they ran towards the Arena, where the Rithmere Games would be held. 

They made it just in time. Mother Kathy bade them farewell and went upstairs to sit at the balcony, while the trio ran inside to see the others gathered there. 

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen!” the announcer said with a loud and vast voice. “To the eleventh Rithmere Games!”

The crowd cheered. Kevin looked at the masses while he caught his breath, impressed by the amount of people that showed up.

“For those unfamiliar with the rules; they are quite simple!” the announcer turned to the competitors. “Each competitor will grab a weapon provided by the Games, and when the gong sounds, they fight each other until they pass out or are thrown out of the Ring. This will continue until there are eight champions left, and those eight will participate in the semi-finals. Now: choose your weapon!”

The other competitors made their way over to the weapon-racks, but Neil stopped both Andrew and Kevin from doing so.

“Look,” he whispered, pointing to the mysterious man they had first met in Luther’s shop.

He was practicing with a shield, and didn’t seem to realize the attention the three were giving him.

“He has scratches in his neck,” Neil said. “So he must be our attacker.”

“But why?” Kevin asked. 

“It doesn’t really matter at this point,” Andrew said. “We need to grab a weapon, before they’re gone.”

So for now, they all let it slide and grabbed a weapon. Kevin grabbed a mallet, Andrew also took a shield and Neil grabbed a truncheon, ‘because it looks like a stick and I can fight with those as well’.

“Forest junkie,” Andrew muttered.

Neil wanted to answer, but then the gong sounded and the entire Arena erupted in chaos. They soon lost sight of each other, being pulled into another fight by another competitor.

Kevin beat a random guy with a shield, and then finds himself face to face with the acrobat. 

“Hi,” he said, blushing a little.

She raised her eyebrow. “Hi?”

“We kind of met at the market yesterday? You winked at me?”

“That could be possible, I don’t know.”

“Oh, well my name is-” Kevin almost said his real name, but quickly thought of his fake one. “Beetle, from Bushtown.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here Beetle, but you’re strategy is not working.”

“I just want to get to know you.”

The acrobat frowned. “I’m Thea.”

“That’s a wonderful name.” Andrew would first smack Kevin and then his own face in shame if he saw and heard this.

“Thank you?”

“What brings you here?” Kevin hit an attacker in the head and smiled at Thea.

“I am trying to gain some money for my family.”

“Me too! Kind of.” By Adin, Kevin was messing this up wasn’t he?

“You’re a weird one Beetle,” Thea said, smiling. “But I kind of like that.”

“Yeah, I kind of like you too.” Kevin smiled back. “So why not make a truce? We will not fight each other and just make it to the semi-finals. Together.”

Thea frowned again, hitting someone who tried to get Kevin from behind with her truncheon.

“You know what? Sure.” Thea offered Kevin her hand. “Truce. Let’s both make it to the semi-finals.”

Kevin shook her hand and they parted ways to fight someone else. Kevin was delighted, but he had to focus on his opponents and make it to the semi-finals for real.

Andrew in the meantime beat up another competitor who thought he would be easy because he was small. The looks on their faces when Andrew beat them with brute strength and smarts was priceless and would forever be treasured in Andrew’s memories, to think back to when the world seemed to have it against him again.

This very much pleased the crowd, who were betting on the tiny blond to make it to the finals and some even on winning it. They probably liked the underdog-story.

Neil in the meantime had a hard time finding the man who probably attacked them. He really wanted to give him a piece of his mind, beating him senseless in the meantime.

But just when he had found the man, his way was blocked by a brute who was all muscle and no brains. The man grinned.

“This is going to be a piece of cake, stick!”

Neil sighed. He could handle being called a rabbit or a forest junkie by Andrew, but this man was getting on his nerve. He smiled sweetly.

“Yes, a piece of cake.”

He kicked the man in the kneecap and used his truncheon to block the man’s shield. Then he jumped up, hit the man in the face with his truncheon and smiled when the man screamed confused and in pain. Neil positioned himself on the man’s neck and used the truncheon to block his airway, effectively knocking him out within a minute.

Neil sighed. His mother taught him that trick, to use on the bears or bigger monsters if need be. He really missed her and wished she could have seen that in person, not in spirit. She would beat him senseless because he joined the Rithmere Games for no reason, but she’d be proud to see he was actually capable of taking care of himself.

He turned around to see two men in armor creeping up to him. Neil raised an eyebrow.

“Prepare to be eliminated from this competition!” one of them shouted.

“Yeah, yeah, just get on with it,” Neil said, readying his weapon, a small smile forming on his lips. 

This was going to be fun.

Kevin ran into two opponents as well in the meantime. He had seen them before, but couldn’t remember where.

“My my Orwen,” the female with the short, red hair said. “He’s just a little kid!”

“Don’t underestimate kids Joanna,” Orwen, a large, bulky, blond man, responded. “I’ve seen this one fight off a lot of opponents.”

Kevin shrugged. He was a little nervous about fighting two opponents, but just when he was about to strike first, someone besides him growled.

It was the brute Neil offended yesterday. _Oh Adin_, Kevin thought. _I’m screwed_.

“You’re friends with that punk!” the brute said. “And you pulled him away before I could bash in his head.”

“Believe me when I say I have nothing but regrets at the moment.” _I’m going to kill Neil._

“You better!” The brute attacked, but without a weapon. 

Kevin tried to block it, but was thrown across the Arena instead. Andrew spotted him, but he was busy fighting the man that supposedly attacked them.

Groaning, Kevin got up again, feeling the bruises form already. He was so going to kill Neil. 

The brute charged again, but this time Kevin thought of something and when the brute growled, Kevin pushed his mallet in his mouth. It fit perfectly.

Happy his plan worked, Kevin saluted the brute and ran off again, grabbing a mallet some other contestant had dropped on the way and joining Neil in his fight with the two armored men.

“You’re so dead to me,” Kevin said cheerfully. “Thanks to you, I had to fight that brute you offended yesterday!”

“But you won, right?”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Not the point. Why are you fighting two people at once?”

“Because they teamed up and thought I was an easy target.” Neil grinned. “I think they regret that assumption.”

He kicked one in the stomach and hit the other with his truncheon. Kevin finished the first off by hitting him in the head while Neil kicked the other off the Arena.

“I didn’t need your help.”

“You’re welcome,” Kevin said, rolling his eyes.

The gong sound again. 

Kevin looked around. There were eight competitors left; he and Neil of course, the brute, Joanna and Orwen, Thea – luckily enough – the mysterious man that may of may not have attacked them and Andrew, who had been fighting said man. 

They all looked up at the spectator, who grinned and announced loudly that they had made it.

“And the eight champions to go to the semi-finals are…” His grin widened and he pointed to Thea. “Thea!”

She smiled and waved at the cheering crowd.

“I’m glad she made it,” Kevin said softly, making Neil frown.

“Orwen and Joanna!” 

Orwen and Joanna bumped fists and also started waving at the crowd. 

“Seth!”

The brute grunted and glared at the crowds. Then he looked over to Kevin and Neil, humphed and made a vulgar gesture.

Neil wanted to repeat that gesture – not knowing what exactly it meant, but knowing full well that it meant something horrible – but Kevin stopped him from doing so by hitting him in the head slightly. Neil glared at him, rubbing the back of his head, but Kevin didn’t care.

“Doom!” 

The brown-haired man looked up, made eye-contact with Kevin and turned to the crowds again.

Andrew had joined them in the meantime, glaring at the cheering crowds. It gave him a headache.

“And last but not least, Rabbit, Cedar and Beetle!”

Kevin waved to the crowd, Neil muttered something about his fake name being stupid and hating Andrew and Andrew ignored both the crowd and Neil, turning to Kevin.

“We all made it, let’s go back to the inn before this headache turns into something worse.”

Kevin just shrugged, pulled Neil along and left the Arena with the two of them. The other semi-finalists followed, but not before waving one last time.

On the other side of the tunnel, some medics were waiting to get them back into shape, but Neil just ignored them and Andrew glared long enough to be let through, while Kevin just told the medic kindly he had no serious injuries.

Andrew sighed when they got outside. “So his name is Doom huh?”

“Seems weirdly fitting,” Neil said. 

Kevin just hummed. He was a little distracted by the prospect of fighting again tomorrow.

“You know, now that we made it to the semi-finals, we can lay low and get beaten and continue the quest with three bags of money!” Neil said, cheerfully. 

“I’m not going to lose on purpose,” Kevin said. “That’s cowardly!”

“No it’s not,” Neil said.

“If you’re going to name an animal that does it, I will use these fists to show you how much I care,” Andrew warned Neil, and Neil scoffed.

Before he could open his mouth however, he bumped into someone. Again.

Kevin’s eyes widened. “What the-”

“Watch it!” a voice similar to Andrew’s said.

As the boy looked up, he stopped as well, staring at Andrew. Andrew stared back to his doppelganger, confused.

They both had the same blond hair, the same hazel eyes, freckles, same height, same body builds… Kevin kept noticing similarities, while he switched his gaze from one to the other.

Neil’s eyebrow rose up. “Well, this is weird.”

The Andrew-look-a-like scoffed. “What’s your name?”

“Cedar. Yours?” Andrew said, raising one eyebrow.

Before the doppelganger could answer, another voice called.

“AARON!” A dark-haired man ran towards them, followed by another blond, taller and more muscular this time. “Why did you leave so soon?! The Games were wonderful and-”

He stopped when he saw the trio, but especially Andrew. 

“Oh. Erik, you were right. There really was an Aaron-look-a-like in the Arena.”

“Told you.” The blond man, Erik, smiled. “Hi, I’m Erik, and this is my fiance Nicky, and his cousin, Aaron. Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise,” Kevin said. “My name is Beetle, this is Cedar, my brother, and a friend of ours, Rabbit.”

“You two don’t look alike,” Aaron said, switching his gaze from Andrew to Kevin.

Andrew shrugs. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

Aaron grabbed his arm. Kevin waited for Andrew to pull out one of his knives – oh wait, he had to turn those in; use his fists then – and tell Aaron not to touch him, but strangely enough Andrew allowed it.

“I propose you stay at our place for a bit, to get to know each other a little better and eat something,” Aaron said. 

“Yes please!” Nicky said, swinging his arm over Neil’s shoulders. “I can’t wait to get to know a cutie like you a little better.”

“Get off him,” Andrew said, while Neil ducked out of Nicky’s grasp and went to stand behind Kevin, using him as a human shield. 

“I’d like to?” Kevin said, looking at the others. 

Neil shrugged and eyed Nicky, who was grinning sheepishly, a little wary. He really wasn’t used to friendly contact, and both Andrew and Kevin didn’t do it either, so Nicky was a little weird in his eyes.

Andrew sighed and muttered something about needing to go where the other two went, so that’s how they ended up walking to Nicky’s house – Aaron lived with him and Erik, along with his girlfriend Katelyn – with the other three.

Kevin wondered where this was going to lead them, as he looked at Aaron’s back. For this was something he had not expected to get into.

But maybe, just maybe, these people were able to tell them a little more about Aaron and Andrew’s similarities and the things that were going on in Rithmere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RITHMERE GAMES!!!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!  
I know in the books they weren't allowed to use weapons, but in the anime they made it that the contestants used weapons provided by the Games, so I used that instead, because it made more sense in my head to do so.
> 
> Also, characters-explanation:   
_Thea_: Neridah, because Neridah was a love-interest for Lief and an amazing acrobat and a smart and ambitious girl (but don't worry, Thea's nicer than Neridah was).  
_Seth_: Glock, because they're both big brutes and anger management issues. And Glock and Jasmine's dynamic is both awesome and kind of mirrors that of Neil and Seth, so yeah.  
As for who Doom is out of the AFTG-universe... I will not spoil anything, so all in due time.  
**SPECIAL MENTIONS!**  
Nicky, Aaron, Erik and Katelyn were characters I had a hard time fitting in, because there are no characters in the Deltora Universe that made perfect sense for them to be WITH having a relationship of some form with Andrew and each other, soooooo... I took some liberties and just figured I'd paste them in Rithmere, and then planned this meeting (it just kind of came to me, like, my brain being like 'why don't you do it like this' and then me going like 'HELL YEAH LET'S GO').   
Don't worry, they will still return after we're done in Rithmere. Better yet, they'll (maybe Aaron especially) will have an important role to fill in this book/story-part... Just you wait, just you wait.
> 
> Anyways, enough of me rambling. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!  
Lots of Love and see you in two weeks!!


	15. Test Of Endurance

Nicky’s house was a two-story building with white window sills and a green door. The first floor seemed to be dedicated to a small bakery. 

Andrew noticed a blonde woman working there when they walked upstairs, and also noticed how Aaron walked up to her to talk in a gentle voice with her; unlike he did before.

Neil, Kevin and he were put on the couch in the living room upstairs, while Nicky went to grab some tea and cake and Erik settled in the armchair. They only fit because Andrew and Neil were so small, otherwise one of them might have to sit on someone else’s lap or sit on the ground.

“So! Congratulations for making it past the first test!” Nicky said, returning with a tray filled with cups, the teapot and some cake.

Aaron and the blonde lady came in too, bringing a chair along with them. 

“This is Katelyn,” Aaron introduced her. “Katelyn, these are competitors of the Games: Beetle, Cedar and Rabbit.”

Neil cursed Andrew internally, again. It felt good to do so, as he couldn’t blow his cover by doing it out loud.

Andrew ignored Katelyn, but Kevin smiled and gave her a hand, while Neil just nodded towards her. Aaron in the meantime, set up the chair for Katelyn to sit in.

“How curious,” she said, when she was sitting. “You and Aaron do look a lot alike.”

“We noticed,” Neil said. 

“Then where are you from?” Nicky asked, while making himself comfortable on Erik’s lap.

“Bushtown,” Kevin answered. “It’s a small town near the borders of Deltora, so no-one really knows about it.”

“Ah. And why did you come here?”

“For the Games,” Kevin said after glancing at Andrew and Neil, who said nothing. “We wanted to make some money.”

“Well, you three sure are talented,” Erik complimented them.

“Yeah! Like, how you drove away Seth by putting your mallet in his mouth? That was great,” Nicky beamed. “And Cedar, you held up the longest against Doom, you were so well-matched!” He turned towards Neil, grinning. “And I can go on and on and on about you Rabbit. You’re like supercute and amazing and can take on opponents twice your own size.”

“Even though he should really think about who he antagonizes,” Kevin muttered.

Neil shrugged. “I regret nothing.”

“You don’t even know what you’re supposed to regret,” Andrew said.

“I remember!” Neil protested. “I remember just fine. I just have no regrets.”

“I have,” Kevin said.

“We know,” Andrew and Neil said simultaneously.

Kevin stared at them in horror. “Never, ever do that again.”

“So you’re well acquainted!” Nicky chirped. 

“We’ve traveled a lot together,” Andrew said.

“To get here?”

Andrew didn’t reply. Neil just rolled his eyes and Kevin hesitated. What would be their story? Traveling through Deltora to see the land? To see if they can do something? They just traveled here?

“How do you know each other anyways?” Katelyn asked.

“Me and Kevin are brothers, Neil is… Kevin’s friend.”

“How nice.” Katelyn smiled. “You don’t really look alike; different fathers?”

“Something like that I guess.”

Aaron’s eyebrow rose. Neil knew he saw through that vague sentence, but he also knew Andrew had to tell them himself. Kevin knew too, for he knew Andrew didn’t really like talking about that and Kevin just wanted to support his brother. At home, Andrew had been curious from time to time about his biological family, asking Wymack all kinds of questions, but he always made it seem like it didn't bother him when Wymack had no answers.

Andrew took another sip from his tea, staring Aaron in the eye.

“Well, we fled from my parents, who took Aaron in too when his mother died,” Nicky said. “So I guess we all have had our fair share of unlucky things happening in our lives.”

He must have picked up on Andrew’s unease. Neil had to admit Nicky wasn’t just some cheerful weirdo who knew nothing; he was smarter than that.

Aaron and Andrew had continued staring at each other, Andrew growing a little irritated at how the other boy was able to have the same, dead look on his face. He knew Aaron was pushing for Andrew to say something, and you know what, Andrew was going to give it to him too.

Andrew sighed. “Fine! I don’t know my biological parents, as I was found by Beetle’s on the doorstep. They raised me and told me about my adoption when I was small and started to ask questions.”

“So… This might all come together!” Nicky jumped up from Erik’s lap. “You two might actually be twins!”

Andrew scoffed. “Yeah right, of course we are. The only brother I have is Beetle here.”

“Are you getting sentimental?” Kevin mused playfully, earning him a kick in the legs from Andrew.

Aaron huffed. “Think about it though. My mother-”

“I said no.”

“If you just let me finish-”

“He said no,” Neil interjected, raising an eyebrow. 

Nicky smiled, but it felt a little forced. “O-kay. Why don’t we talk about the Games some more then? You three were amazing, but honestly I’m a bit surprised you actually came here, considering the rumors.”

The trio all turned their gaze towards the tanned man. 

“Rumors?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah! About the winners and finalists who all disappear after the Games. And how no Grey Guards come here during the event, as if the Shadowlord is giving us some joy in life.”

“Or maybe he doesn’t want to cause a riot,” Erik said, helping Nicky sit in his lap again. “Since this has been going on for quite some time now.”

“But wait,” Kevin interjected. “They just disappear?”

Nicky and Erik nodded.

“Most people think it’s because they don’t want their prize-money to be stolen,” Nicky said. “But others think it’s because they’re too cowardly, or whatever.”

Aaron shook his head slightly, Andrew noticed. He decided to ignore it, but kept watching his look-a-like from the corner of his eyes. 

“Strange,” Neil murmured.

“Yeah, but you what the strangest thing is?” Nicky was getting into this story, eyes glistening. “They never return to try again.”

“Then again, why would you?” Katelyn reasoned. “They won a hundred or a thousand gold coins. They must be really unfortunate to lose that money that quickly.”

Aaron just shrugged. “Whatever the case is, we don’t really know anything about it either, since we’ve been here for… seven years now?”

“Something like that,” Nicky mused. 

“Seven? Where are you from then?” Kevin asked, much to Andrew’s chagrin, who knew what Aaron was trying to do.

“Oh, well, we’re actually from the border of the Plains. My father owns a shop there, along with my mother.” Nicky sighed.

The trio froze. 

“Do their names happen to be Luther and Maria?” Kevin asked, carefully.

“So you’ve met them.” Nicky sounded just a little surprised.

“Unfortunately,” Neil said, sighing. “So you’re their son?”

“I guess.” Nicky slumped against his boyfriend, who started rubbing his arm. “I had no fun childhood there. The first three to four years I lived there just with my parents, who invested more in their store than in me. Then Aaron’s mother, Tilda came, along with my cousin. We grew up together, and when I was twelve, I had enough of my parents and their obvious hatred towards me and my sexuality, so I fled the house, along with Aaron. We traveled for some time before coming here, in Rithmere, where we met Erik and Katelyn and built our new lives.”

“My mother died when I was four,” Aaron said, looking towards Andrew. “Overdoses. She was crazy before that, always blabbering on how she didn’t want children and now she had two.”

“At first we thought she meant me and Aaron,” Nicky said. “But after her death I overheard my parents talking about ‘Aaron’s brother’.”

“My mother didn’t want any children,” Aaron took it over. “She first tried to drown me, but then she found she couldn’t and came to her brother Luther, crying. She told him about my brother, who she had dropped somewhere but couldn’t remember because she was high as a kite.”

“Sounds like a fun story,” Andrew said, before Aaron could continue. “But our hostess is probably waiting for us to return to the dining room.”

He stood up, but Aaron’s sigh made him stop.

“Just think about it okay? Just… I don’t know… Think about all of this and then make up your mind. I made up mine, just so you know.”

“And what does your mind say?” Neil asked.

“That Cedar might actually be my twin brother and if so, I would like to get to know him better.”

Andrew stared his ‘twin’ down. Aaron stared back, stubbornly. 

“Fine,” Andrew then said. “I’ll think about it. I guess we see you all at the Games tomorrow then?”

Nicky’s eyes brightened. “Of course you will! And we’ll cheer extra hard for you!”

Andrew didn’t answer. Instead, he walked out of the living room towards the chairs that would lead him to the bakery and outside. 

Neil followed, after waving awkwardly, and Kevin thanked them for their hospitality, the tea and cake and excused his brother’s behavior.

“He actually wondered about this a lot,” he revealed, knowing Andrew would kill him for telling the others. “So this might be a little overwhelming.”

“The poor guy,” Nicky said.

“It’s fine,” Aaron huffed. “I’m shaken as well, so a night of rest might actually help me as well.”

Katelyn put her hand around his middle, putting her head on his hipbone in support.

“Well, anyways. Thanks for your hospitality and it was lovely meeting you.” Kevin raced out as well and had to run to catch up to Neil and Andrew, who were bickering again.

“I don’t need your protection,” Andrew said, again.

“Yes, because you were clearly doing okay on your own. Just knowing someone has your back is great, right?” Neil sighed. “And again, I know the struggle! I want to know who my father was as well, even though he’s…” Neil trailed off. “You know.”

Kevin shook his head. “Stop it you two. This was strange, but also kind of nice? We now know there will be no Grey Guards around for the entire time the Games are around, and each champion slash finalist just disappears, so they won’t suspect it when we do the same.”

“Hm.” Andrew looked at Kevin. “If you say so.”

Kathy was overjoyed to see them come into the dining hall.

“I was afraid you were lost!” She exclaimed, giving them some Queen Bee Cider. “But you’re all fine. Want some more cider?”

Neil thanked her and when she looked away to give Kevin some more, he gave his still-full cup to Andrew, who accepted it, but didn’t drink it yet.

“Can I have your attention please?” Kathy said, going to the center of the very empty dining hall.

Neil found it kind of strange to see the hall this empty, but Mother Kathy grabbed his attention quickly enough.

“I am amazed by the people that sit here,” she said, smiling soft but proud. “Every singe one of you! I mean, Seth, your strength is unmatched.”

Seth grinned and gulped down some more of the cedar.

“And Thea, your acrobatic skills are amazing to watch. It’s kind of refreshing to see someone knock out their opponents so gracefully.”

Thea blushed a little, though it was hard to see thanks to her dark skin. Kevin smiled at her, proud of her accomplishment as well.

“And Beetle, your smarts and quick reflexes are thrilling. Amazing! I can’t wait to see you fight tomorrow!”

Kevin looked up and felt his blood rush to his face, muttering something about how it was nothing special. Andrew huffed, the first Andrew-like reaction they have had this evening.

“Oh, and Cedar, you really are strong! You had me there, to be honest! No-one expected you to last that long against Doom.”

Andrew and Doom met eyes, having a small staring-competition Andrew won.

“Now, a little sad news.” Mother Kathy put on a sad face. “Yesterday night some awful person had locked out other competitors. I will not call names and I will not allow you to do so either, but just to be safe I need you all to give your roomkeys to me. I will lock your doors and open them again in the morning, so no funny business can happen tonight.”

Thea and Seth were surprised but complied, Orwen and Joanna asked questions but complied when Mother Kathy didn’t give them any answers, Doom just gave his key without even looking at Mother Kathy and since theirs was stolen, the trio just smiled at their hostess as she pretended to take their key as well.

“So, now that that’s out of the way, eat and rest well, for tomorrow you will have to fight again! And even if it’s your friend, you have to fight with all you’ve got, as there were competitors who didn’t meet the crowd’s expectations and…” Mother Kathy trailed off, put her hands together and sighed. “Anyways, I expect you to fight to your best abilities as well, so don’t let me down!” 

She giggled and left the room to get some more food.

Kevin and Andrew were staring at Neil, who grunted and rolled his eyes.

“Only a pussy wouldn’t dare fight to their best abilities,” Seth said, laughing. 

“That’s a little mean don’t you think?” Joanna said before Neil could open his mouth. “I mean, the only pussy here is you.”

Seth rose up and stomped forward, but Mother Kathy stopped him.

“No fighting here! Take your fight to the Arena if you must, but I will not allow any fights in my inn!”

Neil huffed. “Joanna should have started with that last sentence.”

“Ne-Rabbit, no,” Kevin said, pointing his finger to Neil and glaring.

Neil huffed again. “Hey, why don’t we get a little bit of fresh air before we go to bed.”

Before the other two could even answer, Neil stood up, picked Matt and Dan – who had stayed in the inn the entire time, because Neil didn’t want to risk them getting hurt in any way – up and walked away.

Andrew and Kevin shared a glance before going after him.

Neil stood in the backyard, looking at some flowers near the hedge.

“What did you want to talk about?” Andrew asked.

“I know Kathy said people got beaten up in the past for not meeting the crowd’s expectations, but I’m sure we can baffle our way out of there, and maybe even be out of the city with our gold before they can even get to us.” Neil crossed his arms. “We have a mission to fulfill, and if we get injured… There’s not enough nectar left to heal the three of us, and my mother’s ointment needs to be refilled as well.”

“Are you serious right now?” Kevin asked. “Why do you want to give up? We can easily make it to the finals, or at least one of us can easily do so. One of us might even win. Don’t you want to win Neil?”

Neil huffed. “Yes, but I’d also like to get out of here. Something’s up. I don’t know why or what, but something is wrong here.”

“I hate to agree, but Neil has a point,” Andrew said, and when Kevin sent him a betrayed look: “No Grey Guards? That’s very, very suspicious.”

Kevin wanted to sputter, but Andrew held up his hand.

“But,” he continued. “I do actually want to see Nicky and Aaron again, to see if their story holds up. And to do so, we have to stay and fight.”

Neil looked at Andrew for some time. “But it’s not necessary to fight for real to see them again.”

“It is if Kathy is right and we can get beaten up if we pretend. I do not believe she’s lying about that, and I also believe the crowd sees more than we think.”

Neil threw up his arms to argue again, but Andrew put his hand on his mouth and glared at something past the boy.

Kevin and Neil looked as well. There, in the shadow of the building, was Doom, looking at the three of them.

Doom scoffed, looked them in the eye once more and left.

Andrew still didn’t trust it however. “Let’s just go to bed. We need to be ready to fight tomorrow.”

Neil sighed, but went after them to their room, sulking.

When they were all settled in their beds and Mother Kathy had bade them a goodnight and locked the door, Andrew rolled over to face Neil.

“You still owe me one truth.”

Neil frowned. “I do?”

“I let you try and save Matt.”

“But I didn’t. Reece was in the hallway.”

“A deal is a deal.”

Neil huffed. “Fine.” He rolled over. “What do you want to know?”

“How did your mother die?”

Neil fell silent. For a long, long time.

“Grey Guards,” he then said, hoarsely.

Kevin sat up and hugged his knees, while Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“It was the second time I remember my uncle visiting. They had an argument about something I wasn’t supposed to know about, so they had sent me outside to fetch some water. When I returned, the house mom and my uncle had built was burning.” Neil paused for a moment, and the silence was deafening in the room. “I immediately knew something was wrong, dropped the buckets and ran towards the fire, where a dragon appeared. He would have killed me if it were not for my mother’s training of hiding myself. Then a pod of Grey Guards appeared, with both my mother and uncle. They put my uncle on a chart and my mother in the grass, facing the bush I was hiding in. That’s how she saw me. She told me to run, mouthing the word over and over until a Grey Guard showed up and told her ‘Nathan’ was waiting for her. When my uncle started screaming, my mother turned around and I ran.”

Neil hugged Matt, who was licking at his face and trying to dry his tears, while Dan went to sit on his shoulder in silent support.

Kevin felt awful, and Andrew was feeling a teeny tiny bit sorry for the redheaded boy. Or maybe more than that, but he was not going to think about it too much.

Neil inhaled deeply and continued: “When I returned, all I saw was the smoldering ashes of my former home and my mother’s body, next to a small stream. I buried her underneath a tree, where I found Dan as well. I never returned to that place. I have no idea what had happened to my uncle, but maybe it’s for the best if he had been killed as well.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Kevin said, after a long and heavy silence.

“It’s alright. I’m fine.”

“Every time you say that I believe you less and less,” Andrew comments. “Just so you know.”

“I’m perfectly capable of knowing whether or not I’m alright.”

“And your standards are way lower than anyone else’s, so I beg the differ.”

Kevin decided to interfere. “Cut it out! Let’s just go to sleep and not fight over our feelings.”

“We weren’t-” Neil tried, but Kevin didn’t want to hear it.

“GOODNIGHT!” he yelled, and he turned towards Andrew, who rolled his eyes.

“Dramaqueen.”

“Heard that.”

“And I thought you were asleep.”

“Go to hell.”

“Already there.”

“Let the boy sleep Andrew. We don’t want to disturb his dreams of glory,” Neil said, joining the conversation.

“And that girl.”

“What girl?”

“Oh my, a forest junkie, a moron and oblivious. You sure are one special person.”

“Oh for Adin’s sake just GO TO SLEEP!” Kevin yelled, and he put his pillow over his head.

“Dramaqueen,” Andrew muttered before turning around and closing his eyes as well.

The next day, they woke up thanks to Mother Kathy’s cheery voice that “IT’S GAME-DAY AGAIN PEOPLE!”

They ate their breakfast, ignored the other contestants – who got into a brawl again – and just got up to go to the Arena on their own.

“And remember,” Kevin said to Neil. “No faking. We don’t want to fight an entire city.”

“Oh really? I thought that was our next goal in this quest.” Neil glared at Kevin. “Listen, I’m not an idiot. I may not want to continue, but it’s not like I want to cause a riot.”  
“Good.”

They arrived at the Arena.

“CEDAR!” Nicky waved and walked over, with Aaron in tow.

“Hi Nicky, Aaron,” Kevin greeted them.

Andrew just nodded and Neil observed them, not sure what to think yet. Matt said they seemed nice and wondered if they had any treats with them. Dan asked Neil if they were the people he talked about the other day.

“Yeah,” he told her.

“Yeah what?” Aaron asked, frowning a little.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

“You were talking to yourself?”

“No, probably to the mouse or bird.” Andrew pointed to Dan and Matt.

Matt hissed, telling Andrew he was a proud Siskis so how dare he, but Neil decided not to translate and just glare at the other boy.

“You can talk to animals?” Nicky asked, curious.

Neil didn’t answer and just shrugged.

“You’re so cute!” Nicky wanted to pull him in a hug, but Neil sidestepped and hid behind Kevin, who rolled his eyes but stayed put. “I am so going to put all my money on you making the finals.”

“You sure about that?” Andrew asked, smile forming on his face. “Well Rabbit, seems like you have a fan to impress.”

“Ha ha, really funny,” Neil said, glaring at the blond.

“I’m definitely a fan of all of you, but Neil is the hottest and cutest by far, so I’m putting my money on him.”

“Stop grossing me out,” Aaron said. “I’m leaving before this gets any more embarrassing. Good luck you three. Maybe we could meet up afterwards?”

The last thing was directed at Andrew, who shrugged.

“Who know? Maybe we’ll all be in the infirmary.”

“Then I’m meeting you there anyways. Good luck at the Games!”

And with that, he left. Nicky winked before going along, to the entry for the crowd to go to the tribune.

The trio went inside and met with the other contestants. Thea waved at them, Joanna and Orwen just glared, Seth huffed and crossed his arms, going into a staring contest with Neil, and Doom plain up ignored them.

When they were led inside, Mother Kathy wished them luck again and told them she was looking forward to the actual matches. She winked at the trio, giving them a thumbs-up.  
They entered the ring, greeted by a joyous crowd. 

The spectator grinned while walking over to them. “Welcome contestants! Your next challenge is underneath these blankets-” he pointed to a pile of blankets with ropes sticking out of them- “and will be revealed if you each grab a rope. The rope will decide who your next opponent will be.”

Neil observed the ropes. The blankets made it impossible to see which ropes were one and the same just different ends. If Dan or Matt were here they could sneak up and tell him, but just like the previous fight, he had to leave them in the infirmary with the nurses.

The spectator turned to them, still grinning. “And remember, we want a fight. So no matter who your opponent is – your partner, friend, family, whatever – you will fight like you’re fighting a Grey Guard!”

“How long do you think before his cheeks start to hurt and is grin falters?” Andrew asked Kevin, who sighed and shook his head.

They got up to the ropes. Neil, Andrew and Kevin shared a look before they each took an end of a rope, all three next to each other.

The spectator grabbed the blankets, looked once more at each one of them and pulled away. “PULL!”

They each pulled at their end of the rope. 

“And the contests are as followed!” The spectator took one extra look at the ropes and the numbers hanging around them. “Cedar versus Doom!”

Andrew glared at the other man, who seemed to be indifferent. The crowd roared.

“Joanna versus Seth!”

“You’re going down,” Seth said, grinning.

“We’ll see.” Joanna smiled back.

“Beetle versus Thea!”

Kevin stared at the girl in horror. Thea eventually looked away and sighed.

“And last but not least: Rabbit and Orwen!”

“This is gonna be easy!” Orwen said.

Neil smiled sweetly. “Indeed it is.”

They were brought to the center of the arena, where they were to stand outside of the octagon. All except Andrew and Doom.

The spectator pulled a lever and the middle of the arena – the octagon – rose up, like a platform.

Neil looked up. From below, the fight was hard to follow, but if they backed up a little, they could see better. Once again he wished Matt or Dan were here to help him, but he decided to just take what had been given and stepped back a little.

Kevin was still shocked. He had to fight Thea. And they had a truce! Besides, he couldn’t really hurt her. She was… no, just because she was a girl, didn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to fight. She proved that already in the previous fight. He couldn’t fight her like he meant it, like he couldn’t with Neil and Andrew, though they did spar from time to time. Because he viewed her as a friend.

He looked over to Thea, who had crossed her arms and was staring at the ground, frowning a little. She didn’t seem to like the idea of fighting him either, Kevin thought.  
“It’s starting,” Neil said, shaking Kevin out of his thoughts.

He looked up as well.

Andrew waited patiently for the spectator to hit the gong before attacking. Doom backed off, but counter-attacked by trying to tackle Andrew.

He jumped over his legs and backed off a little, after which they sparred some more. 

The fight was fairly equal, which made Andrew question Doom’s history. How and where did this man learn how to fight so well? 

He used his shield to fend off Doom’s shield-attack and hit back. Andrew hit air.

Doom was faster than Andrew had given him credit for, again. He should really consider his previous fight with the man more, as it might tell him how to beat him.

“Why are you here?” he asked, hoping to catch Doom off guard.

“To fight.”

“But why? You’re resistance, don’t you have better things to do?”

Doom smiled. “Maybe I have, but why do you care? I could just as easily return the question, you know?”

Andrew sidestepped another attack. Doom blocked one of his.

“You and the other two, the redhead and the tall swordsman, you always turn up and destroy the Shadowlord’s influence somehow, right?”

Andrew did not comment. He was a little preoccupied to push Doom’s shield back. Besides, he didn’t want to answer as well, so he took that as an excuse and pushed Doom off.

Doom smiled. Then something in his eyes and stance changed.

All of a sudden, Andrew had to defend himself time and again, and was backed into a corner. 

Never before had he seen someone attack so… he couldn’t find the right words. 

Andrew jumped away before Doom attacked again. Unfortunately, Doom took advantage of this and pushed Andrew off the platform while the boy was mid-air.

Andrew fell down and hit the ground hard.

Kevin and Neil immediately ran over, but Andrew was looking up, to Doom.

Doom smiled, saluted and turned to the crowd to receive the cheers and compliments.

“Are you okay?” Kevin asked Andrew, who was still looking up.

“He fought differently,” Andrew said. “And he knows about the three of us.”

“That’s okay,” Neil said. “We practically fight for the same side. But you sure got your ass beaten up there, didn’t you?”

“Shut up.”

“Nope! You’re going to hear this one a lot.” When both Andrew and Kevin glared at him, Neil huffed. “Oh, so Andrew can use my mistakes and blunders against me, and I cannot ever bring up the one instance he got beaten?”

“That’s not important right now!” Kevin said.

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Well, I tried my best, but got beaten. Maybe you will get it your way after all Neil.”

Neil huffed again, but before the argument could continue, Seth and Joanna’s match was starting.

Kevin immediately wished they hadn’t stopped to look. It was brutal.

Seth was clearly way more powerful than Joanna was, and he took advantage of that. He kicked, hit and threw Joanna around the platform like she was some dog’s toy. 

Joanna tried fighting back, but everyone saw the panic in her eyes grow.

“Joanna!” Orwen shouted when she was hit to the ground again.

Seth just laughed. “Is that all you have? I thought you were going to show me you were not going down?”

Joanna got up, panting and clenching her mallet like it would give her some sort of advantage. 

Seth raised an eyebrow, challenging. 

She attacked, but Seth grabbed the mallet, threw it away and grabbed Joanna like he was hugging her. But her screams and begs for mercy said otherwise.

The crowd loved it. They cheered Seth on and wanted to see blood.

Nicky had shielded his eyes with his hands while Aaron looked on, horrified but unable to look away.

“Let her go! You’ve won already!” Orwen shouted, but Seth ignored him.

Even when Joanna’s struggles stopped and her body grew limp, he continued squeezing her.

The gong sounded again, marking the end of the match. Seth let Joanna go and turned to the crowd without giving her a second glance, waving and grinning.

“How horrible,” Kevin said.

“Don’t let it distract you,” Andrew said. “Or the fact you have to fight your crush.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’m already there.”

Kevin huffed, but was soon called to enter the platform. Thea followed, clenching her truncheon.

“So,” he said, standing in front of her. “Here we are again.”

“Yeah.” Thea smiled bitterly. “We should stop meeting like this.”

“We really should.” The gong sounded and the match began.

Kevin and Thea circled around each other, which collected boo’s from the crowd.

“Do we really have to fight? I mean, we had this truce and all…” Kevin sighed.

Thea looked grim. “The truce was to get to the semi-finals. And here we are.”

Kevin knew that. He had just hoped she would have picked up the hint and helped him come up with a plan to satisfy the crowd and not fight at the same time. Like Neil wanted to do. How ironic.

Thea struck. Kevin blocked her attack and tried to get her in the arm, making her lose her weapon, but Thea bent and dodged his attack.

Kevin got hit in his legs, but Thea didn’t hit him that hard. He almost wanted to say ‘ow’, just to make her feel better about it, but then he realized Thea wasn’t really fighting him.  
She was pretending. Kevin grinned.

He attacked again, pretending to miss her by a hair. Thea dodged anyways and hit him near his ear, but not enough to make him lose his balance.

Kevin attacked again, but this time, Thea counter-attacked by kicking him in the shins while ducking down.

He stumbled and almost tripped, but regained his balance and defended himself by using his mallet to block Thea’s truncheon.

When he moved the truncheon down, Thea tripped over and started falling off the platform. Was she going to let him win?

Kevin watched in awe, but then Thea smiled sadly. 

“Sorry Beetle, but I really need that money.” She used her truncheon to fling herself up again.

Too slow, Kevin realized what was happening. Thea landed behind him, kicked him in the back and therefore, made him fall down instead.

He looked back to see Thea, who was still smiling her sad smile. Then he hit the ground and everything blacked out.

Neil and Andrew ran over as soon as they saw Kevin fall. 

“Idiot,” Andrew said when they rolled him over.

“He’s unconscious.” Neil let Kevin’s wrist go and sighed. “He could have seen that coming.”

“Like you would have.”

“I did!”

“Congratulations,” Andrew said, turning his attention to the nurses rushing over.

“Go along,” Neil said, knowing why Andrew was hesitating. “I just have to wait for Orwen to return anyways, so I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know the meaning of that word.”

“I do.”

“Not the way I know it.”

“Oh for Adin’s sake, just go!” Neil pushed Andrew forward. “Have some quality-time with your maybe-brother as well, while you’re at it.”

“Since when do you care?”

“Since it will get you out of my hair for once. Give me this moment of peace.”

“You know you’re just tempting me to stay?” Andrew said, while walking over to the nurses with Kevin.

Neil didn’t reply, so Andrew just went along with the nurses to the infirmary, where they put Kevin in a bed, checked his head for other injuries than the scratches it had from falling face-first onto the ground. He really was an idiot.

“Hi.” Aaron stepped in, pulling up a chair and sitting across Andrew, on the other side of Kevin’s bed.

“Hi yourself. Skipping the match?”

“As much as I’d love for Rabbit to be turned into dust by Orwen, I figured I might as well go down here and see about our promised meeting.”

Andrew didn’t answer. Aaron looked at Kevin.

“You two are really close, aren’t you?”

“I despise him.”

“Not Rabbit. You and Beetle.”

Andrew looked at Aaron again, curious. “You jealous?”

“All my life I had known something wasn’t right.” Aaron balled his fists. “Like something was missing. At first, I thought it might be my mother, but when I met you…”  
They were silent for some time.

“That almost sounded romantic,” Andrew then commented. “Aren’t you with that girl?”

“I wasn’t trying to be romantic!” Aaron huffed. “How can they stand you? You’re insufferable.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot.” But for the first time with Aaron around, Andrew put on a small smile. “My real name isn’t Cedar.”

Aaron almost jumped up. “I knew it!”

“Calm down. I’m only telling you because I’m interested in that family-thing you’re talking about. I was and am very grateful to my adoptive parents, but I do have to admit I was curious about my real family and why they had left me. So, just to indulge you a little, my real name is Andrew.”

There was another silence. Aaron muttered their names again, fell silent again, and then gave Andrew a small smile in return.

“Thank you.”

“What for?” Andrew raised his eyebrow, just to taunt Aaron.

“Asshole.”

Just when Andrew was going to reply again, Kevin rose up and gasped.

They watched how Kevin was first confused, then calmed down and then stared at the two of them.

“This might get confusing,” he said, making Aaron roll his eyes and Andrew hit his head.

“You’re an idiot,” Andrew said. “A complete and utter idiot.”

“Do you remember your name?” Aaron asked. “Just checking if you don’t have a concussion.”

“I do,” Kevin said.

“Guys!” Nicky stormed in, followed by a sour looking Neil. “You’ll never believe what happened!”

“Judging by your sour look nothing good,” Andrew said to Neil.

Neil sighed. “I-euh, kind of won my match?”

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. Nicky was beaming with pride and happiness, Kevin and Andrew were baffled and Aaron’s mouth had fallen open.

“Come again?” he asked.

“Rabbit won his match by default!” Nicky said, beaming. “Isn’t this exciting?”

Judging by Neil’s face, Andrew concluded, it really, really wasn’t. At all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
This chapter is the longest one I've written yet, which is why it took a little longer for me to upload. Also, university is getting more and more intense as they're trying to figure out how we can do our exams from a distance and I'm slowly going insane with every mention of corona, so yeah.  
Also, the riot-part? Where Neil said he didn't want to start a riot? Yeah, that hurt to write. A lot. *Cue to the flashbacks of The Riot in book three*  
Also also, Kevin's a fricking dork. This dumbass wanted to make Thea feel better by saying 'ow' after she hit him softly on purpose. I love him.  
Also also also: Andrew backstory getting underway! Will he accept Aaron and Nicky or be the stubborn idiot we all know and love and refuse to acknowledge any feelings? WHO KNOWS. (I do, as I have the plot written out, but that's not important).
> 
> Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! See you in two weeks!


	16. Neil vs Doom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand after more than a month of inactivity, here's the next chapter!  
I'm sorry for taking so long; school was killing me and I ran out of pre-written chapters, so I had nothing to give to you in the meantime unfortunately.  
Enjoy!

“Could you please tell us what happened?” Kevin asked, still baffled by the fact that Neil had won his match.

“I won by default, because Orwen refused to fight and opted to stay at Joanna’s side instead,” Neil told them. “So he got out and I stayed in.”

“It was soooooo romantic!” Nicky grinned. “He swept the entire crowd, who cheered him on to look after his lover. It was adorable, how he fought the judges and announcer just to stay with Joanna. And I was overjoyed of course, because I just won a lot of money by betting on Rabbit! I knew betting on a cute face was worth it!”

Neil seemed uncomfortable again, while Aaron rolled his eyes and got up.

“Maybe I should bet on Rabbit again, as my ‘bet on the cutie’-strategy has worked so far…” Nicky wondered.

Aaron hit him in the back of his head. “We’ll be off now. I think you three have a lot of catching up to do and I really want to stop being embarrassed by my own cousin all the time, so we have some catching up to do as well!”

“Aaahw.” Nicky pouted. “Why are you so mean Aaron?”

“I think it’s hereditary,” Andrew offered.

“If you two really are twins, it sure as hell is,” Neil said, sitting down on Aaron’s abandoned chair.

Aaron and Nicky left, leaving the trio on their own.

Dan and Matt went up to Neil and sat on his lap while he absentmindedly pet them.

“Well, this is just irony laughing at us,” Andrew said. 

“Tell me about it,” Neil said, scowling. “Can we not talk about it? I’m really not in the mood right now.”

“Does Nicky irritate you that much? Maybe I should ask him for advice…”

“He makes me uncomfortable!” Neil sighed. “I mean, he’s fine as long as he stops talking about how pretty, hot or cute I am. It’s unnerving.”

Kevin and Andrew shared glances.

“Little question,” Kevin said. “Do you have any experience with feeling a sexual attraction towards someone else?”

“How could I have?” Neil replied sarcastically. “I’m just a dumb forest junkie who doesn’t know anything.”

Kevin said nothing and shared another glance with Andrew. They decided to let it go and just go back to the inn, when Kevin was released from the infirmary.

Neil fell asleep almost immediately after they had retired to their room, so Andrew and Kevin just followed soon after.

The next day, Kevin and Andrew were sitting in the tribune, next to Nicky and Aaron, who had brought their lovers along this time. 

Erik and Kevin were talking about swords and things blacksmith-y, while Katelyn leaned against Aaron and Aaron leaned back.

Andrew just looked at the empty arena, where Neil was supposed to be soon. He was with the other three, preparing for their matches. Today was the last day of the Rithmere Games, the day that would decide the champion of the eleventh time they held this event.

“I have to talk to you about something,” Aaron said all of a sudden. “Do you remember the rumors about champions disappearing?”

Andrew remembered Nicky talking about it, so he nodded.

“Good. Remember how there are no Grey Guards around? I suspect they have something to do with the disappearing champions.”

That was interesting. Andrew waited for Aaron to continue, while Katelyn chatted with Nicky about how they were hoping the matches would go.

“I once saw them after the last matches,” Aaron continued. “I knew they were up to no good, so I tried to follow then, but unfortunately they were too quick and I lost them. It made me think however. Everyone here knows the champions disappear every year, but no-one is suspicious because they think they’re just living the height of their lives with the money. But that doesn’t make any sense, for why stop if you have won one time? Maybe you could get even more rich. Some semi-finalists come back, and even though they’re few, they do accentuate my point; why stop when you’ve got a ball rolling?”

“Good point. Thanks for the warning.” Andrew looked Aaron in the eye. “Maybe it’s not that bad, you being my twin.”

Aaron was overjoyed to hear that. He tried to hug Andrew, but he pushed him off and held Matt up.

“If you want to hug something, take this hairball.” Neil had asked them to watch over the two of them anyways.

Aaron accepted – a little embarrassed – and smiled softly when Matt rolled over for him to rub his belly.

The announcer took a stand and the entire crowd fell silent.

“Welcome to the finale of the Rithmere Games! Today, the last three matches will be fought and the winner will be known!”

The crowd cheers.

“And here they are!” The announcer gestured behind him, where the four finalists appeared and entered the arena. “Up front is Doom, then Thea, Seth and last but not least Rabbit!”

“It’s kind of cruel of his parents to name such a cute face ‘rabbit’,” Nicky said, while the crowd around them yelled and cheered. “I mean, it doesn’t really suit him.”

Kevin gave Andrew a pointed glare, and Andrew huffed but put up a grin.

“That’s because his real name is Neil, like mine is Andrew and this idiot here’s is Kevin. We used fake names.”

Nicky blinked a few times. Then he grinned. “Neil suits him much better! WHOO! GO NEIL!”

Neil didn’t even hear him over the others, but he did look like he was searching the crowd, looking for them.

“Why did you tell them?” Kevin asked, curious.

“I trust them.” Andrew watched how a bemused Erik told Nicky he better cheer for ‘Rabbit’, because that’s how he’s known, while Nicky pouted and told his lover he liked the name ‘Neil’ way better. “Don’t you?”

“I do,” Kevin said. “I was just curious.”

“Sure you were.”

Kevin decided to change the topic. “Isn’t it ironic how Neil is standing there while he was the one who wanted to get out by faking a defeat?”

Nicky huffed. “Well, I really hope he will not be put up against Seth. What if he squeezes him to death as well, like he did with Joanna?”

Andrew and Kevin hadn’t considered that and looked at the two, Neil significantly smaller than Seth. Worry clouded their mind, for what if that did happen? Seth already didn’t like the redhead, so why not hurt him some more during the match? How would Neil get out of that?

Neil wasn’t worried about anything. Instead, he was curious what the blackhaired boy that entered the arena and walked over to them was doing here.

The boy’s hair was slicked back, his eyes were brown and he had a small smile on his face. “Care for a drink? It’s Queen Bee’s special.”

On his tray were four cups with the cider he was talking about.

Doom took one first. “Thank you.”

The boy smiled and walked over to Thea, who also thanked him for the drink and smiled. The boy smiled back.

Seth just took one and grunted, gulping the beverage down quickly.

Neil shook his head when the boy offered him one as well. “No thank you.”

“But you need your strength!” The boy tried, smiling a little less genuine and more panicked. “For the upcoming matches.”

“I really don’t like that stuff, so if you want me to regain my strength I suggest you grab me some water.” Neil raised an eyebrow. “For there’s no way I’m drinking that.”

The boy lowered the tray and glanced at Doom, who just shook his head.

“Well,” Seth cut in. “If you’re not going to drink it, I might as well take yours!”

Before anyone could protest, Seth grabbed the last cup, gulped it down and threw the mug on the floor.

Thea rolled her eyes and drank hers, while Doom sighed and gave his cup back to the boy.

The boy bit his lip and hurried off. Neil wondered why, but then Seth gave him a push.

“You’re an idiot if you think you didn’t need the cider. If we’re up against each other, I’m going to squash you like the bug you are!”

Neil rubbed his arm and huffed. “As if you’d get the chance. Bugs have more brain-power than you could possibly have, you know? So even if I’m one, I’d still be able to outsmart you.”

Seth grew furious, but next to him, Thea gagged and then fell on the ground, unconscious.

“What the-” Seth grabbed his stomach and his eyes grew wide. “That kid, he-” Seth fell to his knees. “Poisoned the- the drink…”

Neil stepped back before Seth could fall on top of him, looking at the other two in horror. Then his gaze shifted over to Doom, the only one standing apart from Neil.

“You…” Neil said, while the crowd went wild and some nurses came over to tend to Thea and Seth.

“What happened?” Nicky asked, concerned. “Why are Seth and Thea unconscious?”

“Did Neil just dodge a bullet?” Kevin wondered, grinding his teeth. 

“I think he did,” Andrew said. “Looks like Doom wanted to take all the glory by taking out his competition with an accomplice.”

But there was one thing Andrew didn’t understand: why? Doom was perfectly capable of fighting, so what would he have gained by winning the tournament this way?

Neil wasn’t worried about that at all. He was fuming, cursing himself and the man before him.

Himself for not noticing something might be wrong after the boy glanced to Doom when Neil wouldn’t accept his drink, and Doom for poisoning the other two and eliminating the competition that way, instead of just fighting his way through.

Thea and Seth were brought to the infirmary on stretchers, while the entire crowd started making noise and the judges and announcer started discussing their next step.

Neil was still angry when the announcer silenced the crowd by raising his hands. Doom just looked at the announcer indifferently.

“We have decided that Thea and Seth are unable to continue the Games. We will figure out what happened and find the one responsible, but for now, we’ll just continue the Games with our last two contestants: Doom and Rabbit!”

The crowd started cheering, while Neil and Doom got their weapons handed over to them by the judges.

“I will not make this easy for you,” Neil said, clenching his truncheon. “You will regret trying to poison me as well.”

Doom said nothing. He just observed Neil, blue eyes filled with… wonder? 

“Should have thought it through a little more, didn’t you?” Neil decided to taunt further. “I don’t like that stuff. You could have known if you had paid more attention to me in the inn; you’d see I always shove my drink towards one of my companions and only drank water. Too bad you’re as blind as a newborn nest-dweller!”

That made Doom smile, confusing Neil a little with how amused that smile was.

“Your plan failed,” he said while they walked over to the arena. “Why are you smiling?”

“Maybe it didn’t fail,” Doom said, finally opening his mouth to say something back. “Ever thought about that little rabbit?”

Neil hadn’t. The confusion made him trip and fall on his butt when the platform raised up and ropes appeared around it.

Andrew shook his head, watching Neil get up again. He should get his head in the game; distracted Neil wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Neil and Doom took their places. The announcer looked at them both, waited for the crowd’s cheers to die down and raised a hand.

The suspense dreaded the air. The announcer looked at the two contestants again, smiled and put his hand down.

The moment the gong sounded, Doom sprung into action and drove Neil away from his spot.

Nicky started cheering Neil on, shouting he could do it. But his voice was just one in a thousand, and those thousand voices were screaming at Doom to squash the little boy.

Andrew clenched his fists, silently cheering Neil on. Kevin hugged a stressed Dan, staring at the fight in fear of his friend, and Aaron pat Matt when he started making concerned noises.

Neil dodged another attack and tried to strike back, but had to back off again when Doom swung his shield at him.

He wondered: where did Doom learn how to fight like this. He was fighting like a-

“He’s fighting like a madman,” Andrew said, coming to the same conclusion as Neil.

Kevin looked at him questioningly. “Who?”

“Doom. It’s what caught me off guard the last time. Doom literally fights like he has nothing to lose, nothing but life that is. It’s the worst type of fighter you can have against you, one who doesn’t care what happens after and gives it his all.”

“YOU CAN STILL DO IT RABBIT!” Nicky shouted, trying to shout louder than the crowd surrounding him. “I BELIEVE IN YOU!”

Neil didn’t hear. He had to dodge another attack, one that came way too close to his jaw.

He and Doom circle around each other for some time after that, making the crowd boo and yell at Doom to just get it over with. ‘It’s just a tiny kid.’

Nicky got up to defend Neil, but Erik pulled him down again and told Nicky to stay out of it and not get into a fight.

Katelyn sighed. “This is why I hate the Games. Fighting is a sport, an art that should be admired, but these guys only want to see someone else get beaten to a pulp, and that’s horrible.”

Aaron hummed in agreement and kisses her head, while putting an arm over her shoulders.

“Neil won’t let Doom beat him to a pulp,” Nicky said, but even he didn’t sound that sure. Doom did beat Andrew after all.

Meanwhile in the arena, Neil dodged another of Doom’s attacks and finally got a hit in; he hit Doom in the arm by accident while dodging.

Doom laughed. “Is that all you have Rabbit? Did you mother teach you how to fight or something? You fight like a little girl.”

This had the opposite effect that Doom wanted, probably, as Neil’s emotions flared up after that comment.

His insides felt like they were on fire, a sensation that quickly took over his entire body. No-one disrespected his mother, as she was the only one who had been able to keep them both alive and away from his father and the Grey Guards, who took her life after she made sure Neil lived on. In his eyes, his mother was the bravest woman he had ever met, and not someone to make fun of.

He dodged another attack, kicked Doom in the stomach and sent him flying against the ropes.

“As a matter of fact she did!” Neil shouted angrily. “And she’s the best teacher I could have ever had!”

He sprung into action again, making the crowd fell silent in awe at how fast and agile he moved across the arena to kick Doom in the arm, legs and shoulder with his truncheon and feet.

“Wow,” Nicky said. “He’s really, really good, isn’t he?”

“He’s angry,” Andrew said, observing how Neil fought on as if he had to hurt Doom instead of just beat him out of the arena and or unconscious. “He’s hitting to hurt, not to beat.”

“But that’ll make him sloppy,” Kevin said, frowning.

Nicky was just happy Neil was finally getting some punches in and roared with the crowd for Neil to beat Doom’s ass.

Neil in the meantime, noticed Doom was too slow to keep up with his attacks, and started taunting him with it.

“Hey old man! Can’t keep up?” Neil easily dodged another attack and hit Doom on top of his head. “Maybe it’s time for your afternoon nap. Gotta keep up the strength now don’t we?”

Doom grunted and tried to attack again, but Neil just danced around him and started hopping around, hitting Doom here and there to irritate the man.

“Old man, old man, na-na-na-na-na na~” Neil sang, and when the crowd caught on to this fact some of them started singing along.

Andrew was almost on the ground laughing, while Kevin hid his face in his hands and Aaron wondered how Neil was even alive, if he’s this annoying all the time.

Nicky was laughing as well, making Erik join in and Katelyn shake her head fondly.

Neil was having a blast in the meantime. Doom couldn’t keep up with his speed, so he landed hit after hit while dancing around him and make him pay for insulting his mother. 

The whole crowd was roaring for him to finish Doom off, and Nicky got caught up in it as well. So much so, that Erik had to push him down after some time before he could get into a fight with the one person that was still rooting for Doom. 

Andrew got engaged into the fight as well, silently rooting for Neil and staring at how marvelous the redheaded boy moved around in the arena. He made it look so… easy, while Andrew sure had a rough time keeping up with Doom.

An uneasy feeling crept up to Andrew. What if this was all planned? What if Doom did something to rile Neil up and cloud his judgment and-

The second Neil landed another hit, Andrew jumped up, cursing. 

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked.

Andrew just stared at the two in the arena, ignoring his brother. 

Kevin decided to check it out for himself, and then cursed as well.

“Ready to give up old man?” Neil asked Doom. “It looks like I’m too fast for your liking.”

Doom, who was bent over and holding what will become a nasty bruise later on his stomach, rose up and grinned. “Look behind you little Rabbit.”

Neil looked. He was cornered. Literally.

Doom had somehow made him move to one of the corners of the arena. He was playing Neil.

This made Neil’s anger flare again, but this time he kept it down to think, knowing being impulsive and angry was how he got trapped in the first place. Maybe if he somehow could outwit Doom, he could still win the fight and show Doom he was not someone to be messed with, and that his mother raised a true survivor.

He tried to attack, but Doom quickly gained possession of his weapon. Now weaponless, Neil had no other option but to run, and even those attempts were cut off by Doom.

The entire crowd was holding their breath. No-one was shouting anymore, as no-one had expected this to happen in a fight. 

Kevin bit his lip. He wanted Neil to win, but there was just no way out of this. Nicky was scared of what might happen, clinging to Erik’s arm, Aaron was watching in anticipation and Katelyn was staring as well, not knowing whether to root for her acquaintance or the man who had just cleverly cornered said acquaintance. 

Andrew in the meantime was just staring, clenching his fists.

Neil stepped back, reaching behind him to make sure he wasn’t too close to the edge. Maybe there still was a way out.

His hand bumped against the pole, which marked every corner and kept the ropes up. 

Doom swept with the truncheon, aiming to hit Neil. On instinct, Neil jumped up, but with this small way out he made sure he landed safely on the pole.

Before Doom could react to this, Neil walked over the ropes and landed behind Doom.

Doom just turned around, getting hit with Neil’s foot in the process and dropping the truncheon.

“Thank you!” Neil said, smiling. 

The older man grunted, but as established earlier, Neil was quicker than he is, so before he could recover from the kick and loss of his additional weapon, Neil kicked him in the back and over the ropes.

Doom fell, but before Neil lost sight of him, he saw the grin on Doom’s face, making Neil frown.

Then Doom hit the bottom of the arena and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Nicky was yelling incomprehensibly and hugged Erik, Andrew and a reluctant Aaron close, Katelyn was smiling and clapping proudly, Kevin was going all out yelling how Neil was so awesome and really fought well and Andrew was… staring.

Aaron nudged his twin, frowning slightly. Andrew didn’t react.

“Andrew?” Aaron tried, and this time he got an answer.

Andrew looked up, startled. He turned to meet his brother’s frown. “What?”

“You were staring.”

Andrew didn’t answer. He looked at Neil again, who was being hugged by the announcer – reluctantly – and shrugged.

Aaron left it at that. Neil had warned him against prying, and he knew if he was patient enough Andrew would give him the answer anyways.

“You guys will come to our place for a celebratory feast and party, right?” Nicky looked at Andrew and Kevin expectantly.

Kevin looked at Andrew, who shrugged. 

“Sure,” he said on behalf of his unresponsive brother. “After we get our stuff from Mother Kathy’s inn we’ll come your way.”

They met Neil outside of the Arena, after the trio was called in the Arena to grab their price-money. Nicky immediately overwhelmed him with hugs and congratulatory cheers, but both Kevin and Andrew noticed Neil wasn’t in the mood. He seemed to be thinking about something.

“See you later okay?” Nicky said. “We’ll go set up the diner and party.”

“Later!” Andrew called after the four others, who disappeared in the crowd.

“That was really impressive Neil,” Kevin said, as if he hadn’t been yelling how awesome his friend had been not too long of a long time ago.

“Hm.” Neil was still distracted by whatever had captured his mind.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked.

“Something was… wrong.” Neil looked around and continued quietly. “I think Doom let me win.”

Kevin frowned. “Why?”

“He was smiling at me while he fell out of the ring. It just… doesn’t sit right with me.” Neil took a deep breath and shook his head. “We can ask him at the inn I guess.”

Andrew was lost in thought now as well. Doom wanted Neil to win. Why? A thousand gold is nothing to sneeze at, so why go through all the trouble of fighting your way to the finals and then let yourself be beat after an impressive showdown?

When they entered the inn, the three of them were squished in a hug from Mother Kathy, who was grinning from ear to ear.

“I knew you would win! I’ve had my eye on you three from the beginning, and even though I’m surprised at who came out on top, I’m still excited to see you all three as winners!”  
Kevin smiled back. “Thank you Mother Kathy.”

Mother Kathy squeezed his cheek before turning to Neil and putting his head in her hands. “You must be hungry! I’ve prepared a feast for everyone! Excluding Thea and Seth, who unfortunately haven’t woken up yet.”

“No thank you,” Neil said, pushing her hands away. “We just came here to grab our things and talk to Doom. Have you seen him?”

Mother Kathy was surprised, but she pulled herself together and shook her head mournfully. “He hasn’t been released from the infirmary yet, Riko told me. Do you want to wait for him?”

Andrew shook his head. “It was nothing of importance anyways. We’ll just grab our things and leave if you don’t mind.”

“I’m a little sad you don’t want to stay for dinner, but it’s your choice eventually. I’ll have Abelard grab your things.”

Abelard, one of the servants in the inn, disappeared from the shadows and went upstairs. Mother Kathy waited until he was out of earshot and leaned closer.

“I do have to warn you though. There are rumors going about the Grey Guard taking champions and finalists. Some say it’s for their money, some say it’s to make sure the best fighters cannot rise up against them, but either way, it’s not save for you to leave through the front door.”

Andrew’s interest was piqued. Kevin just nodded along and Neil frowned, as if he didn’t understand what she was saying.

“So I suggest you go through one of the secret tunnels from the inn to outside of the city. Maybe they won’t catch you that way.” Mother Kathy gestured to her desk. “Under my desk is where the tunnel begins, and it ends at the eastern gates.”

That’d be a little out of trajectory of their final destination, as the Shifting Sands were north to Rithmere, but Mother Kathy’s help was appreciated nonetheless, Kevin thought.

Abelard returned with their things. Andrew shifted through his backpack while Kevin and Neil thanked Mother Kathy for her kindness.

“Hang on, I’m missing something.” Andrew looked up and met eyes with Kevin. “Our map.”

Before Kevin could react to that, Mother Kathy interfered.

“Oh, Abelard can go grab that for you! You three better hurry along now, before the Grey Guards burst in.”

“They do that?” Neil asked.

“Sometimes, but no worries, I usually just make conversation long enough for everyone to escape.” She winked at them.

Andrew shook his head. “I’ll grab it myself. I can’t remember where I put it and I don’t want to inconvenience you and Abelard.” He made eye-contact with the other two once more before storming out of the room, Abelard on his tail.

Mother Kathy sighed. “Oh well, you two better get going then. Have a nice trip home!”

Neil pulled Kevin along, who wanted to protest and wait for Andrew. “Thank you Mother Kathy!”

They entered the tunnel and started their long trek to the gate.

“We don’t have a map,” Kevin then pointed out. “Why didn’t Andrew want to come along?”

“Because he doesn’t trust the situation and wants to scout,” Neil said. “We had to keep up appearance for Mother Kathy and go along, as to not raise suspicion.”

That made sense. “But why doesn’t Andrew trust the situation?”

“No idea, but it probably has to do with those Grey Guards again. We better be on our guard.”

Kevin nodded and drew his sword, while Neil grabbed his knife. They continued slowly, ears listening to every echo the tunnel made and eyes watching the shadows carefully.

It came as a surprise to them when they reached the end without any trouble. Neil stopped walking and frowned, lowering his knife. Kevin walked forward and touched the wall for something to open it with, putting away his sword.

“Why are you doing that?” Neil asked. “It’s a dead end.”

“I think there’s a hidden button somewhere,” Kevin told him. “Back in Del Palace there are hundreds of secret passage-ways, activated by pushing stones in the wall, pulling levers or pressing hidden buttons. Maybe this wall has something similar.”

Neil doubted it, but he had no time to express his doubts, as the floor beneath them shifted slightly.

Kevin didn’t even notice, but Neil had lived long enough in the Forests of Silence to notice even the slightest hint of movement beneath his feet, as it usually meant the tree you landed on was evil and wanted to eat your flesh.

“Kevin, watch ou-” Neil jumped forward, but the entire floor disappeared and made his head hit the sharp edge of the tiny stretch of floor before the wall marking the end of the tunnel.

Kevin yelled some curse-words before landing on his back. “You were right, it was a trap.”

Neil didn’t answer.

“Neil?”

A strange smell entered his nose, something sweet and almond-like. Matt screeched, but Kevin couldn’t ask him what the fuss was about, as he too soon lost consciousness.

Andrew knew Abelard was following him. He slowed down and waited for the man to catch up to him.

Abelard immediately attacked, but Andrew had anticipated an attack and blocked the knife easily. Abelard tried again, and Andrew grabbed his own knives from under his armbands to counter. 

This surprised Abelard, who should have known Andrew had those hidden, but apparently didn’t know where. He tried to tackle Andrew, but Andrew jumped up and tried to slice Abelard’s neck instead. 

After beating things like Reeah, Sorceress Lola and the Gorl, and even fighting in the Rithmere Games, Andrew was definitely better than before, and Abelard was definitely no match for him now. He tackled Abelard and smashed him unconscious before he hit the ground, ending the fight without even breaking a sweat.

Then, Andrew sped up the stairs, got into their room and climbed out the window. Neil had mentioned the drop to the other roof wasn’t that far of a stretch, but as Andrew was standing there he knew Neil was definitely underestimating the drop.

Closing his eyes, Andrew leaped. For a few seconds, he was flying mid-air, heart racing and mind screaming.

Then his feet landed on the other roof and he fell over, almost falling off, panting and trying to make his fluttering heart stop.

Andrew got up, just in time to witness some Grey Guards near the back of the inn, carrying two suspicious-looking sacks that resembled bodies too much.

He knew something was going on. As soon as Mother Kathy told them about the rumors, his gut told him something wasn’t right, and those feelings were confirmed the moment she said that she talked to Grey Guards long enough for other champions to escape as well. If that were true, then why were they missing as well?

There was just one thing left to do, Andrew thought as he saw the Grey Guards load their cargo on the carriage and failed to notice something brown escape the sack and hurry to the wall.

He had to warn Aaron and Nicky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sassy Neil and angst are the things I live for.  
Also: _a wild new character appeared..._ DUNDUNDUUUUUUUNN!  
I will talk about him more in the next chapter, because our main trio has not officially met him yet. (Also, I'd like to know if you can guess who the new character is and whose role they're fulfilling)  
SO. I hope you liked this new chapter and thank you for your patience!  
Lots Of Love <3  
See you in a few weeks!


	17. The Boy from the Resistance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE CRAWLED OUT OF MY SCHOOLWORK TO FINALLY EMERGE AND BRING YOU ALL A BRAND NEW CHAPTER!!  
School is almost over now. Which is really, really strange, because suddenly I have all this free time and am confused as to what I'm supposed to do with it. I mean, I can write waaaaaaay more now, and still have to do some work for my... internship? (Is that what the English call it? I'm just a dumbass Dutch person who forgot the word 'turtle' in her own language once, soooooo).  
So thank you all for your patience! I really, really appreciate it<3  
Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Andrew waited until the Grey Guards were out of sight before coming down and grabbing a trembling Matt, who made happy noises upon seeing him.

Not wasting any more time, he put Matt on his shoulder and ran towards Aaron’s house.

It took some dodging and narrow streets, but Andrew managed to stay out of sight from any passer-by’s or Grey Guards.

Nicky almost dropped the tray he was holding when Andrew barged in. “Whoa! Hey Andrew, everything alri-”

“They got Kevin and Neil.” Andrew looked at Aaron.

The other boy cursed. “I knew it! Where to?”

“Wait, what’s going on? Who has Kevin and Neil?” Nicky looked at the two twins, while Erik and Katelyn appeared from the kitchen with concerned faces.

“Grey Guards.” Andrew started playing with Matt’s tuff on top of his head. “Mother Kathy offered us to escape their grasp by using a tunnel that stretched from the inn to the eastern gates, but it made me suspicious. Then she mentioned Grey Guards bursting in her inn and her keeping them there by talking long enough for the champions to escape, but that just made me even more sure she was in on it all, and that the tunnel shouldn’t be trusted. So I went upstairs to escape through our bedroom window, as Neil once mentioned it wasn’t too difficult to jump to the other roof like a liar, but I made it just in time to see Grey Guards loading two sacks probably containing Neil and Kevin, who went trough the tunnel anyways as to not raise suspicion, and Matt falling out of one of those sacks confirmed that. I need help.”

Nicky blinked a few times, while Aaron made Andrew sit down and asked Katelyn to make some tea.

“I have never heard you ramble like that,” he then said. “Are you alright?”

“Two people I care about have been kidnapped to who knows where and need saving. I’m stellar.”

“We’ll help,” Aaron said, accepting Katelyn’s tea and giving the mug to Andrew. “Where did they go?”

“Somewhere north. I don’t know. I ran over here as soon as I could.”

“Well, it’s a start.” Nicky grinned. “And I can get us some horses to travel faster.”

“But also less sneaky,” Aaron noted.

“It won’t matter. Travelers use horses too and usually ignore Grey Guards to be ignored, so we’ll be fine.” He gave Erik a kiss on the cheek and went outside to get them some horses.

“We need to make sure no-one suspects us behaving oddly as well,” Katelyn said. “If Grey Guards have returned to the city, they will notice it if we’re all gone.”

Erik nodded. “So me and you stay here to keep up appearances and bake some bread for tomorrow, while Aaron and Nicky help their family.” 

Andrew felt a little too overwhelmed to react to that, but Aaron nodded.

Nicky returned with three horses, which meant they quickly had to mount and ride off before anyone caught on and sold them out to the Grey Guards.

Katelyn hugged Aaron and kissed his cheek. “Please be careful.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be back before you know it,” Nicky said, smiling. 

Andrew just nodded to the other two, and after reminding himself these were not Muddlets and he had to softly kick the horse in order to get in moving, he rode off, followed by Nicky and Aaron.

Most of the town was still celebrating the end of the Rithmere Games, so they mostly saw drunk people roaming the streets luckily.

They headed north from Mother Kathy’s Inn, as that was the direction the Grey Guards went. But outside the gates, they had to stop and figure out which road to take.

Andrew knew they didn’t have any time to think this through and the best course of action would be to split up, but then he heard something, or rather someone, caw above their heads.

Dan landed on top of his horse, flapping her wings anxiously.

“Isn’t that Neil’s bird?” Aaron asked.

Dan cawed, as if she were answering Aaron’s question. Matt squeaked in reply, hopping off Andrew’s shoulder and nuzzling Dan’s wing with his nose.

“Can you lead us to them?” Andrew asked. 

Dan lifted off, flying a few circles above them before going further towards the north, cawing. Andrew, Aaron and Nicky quickly followed suit.

Kevin woke up with a slight headache to a cawing bird. He was lying on his side, in a bag, on some sort of cart if he had to guess from the bumping below him. His hands were cuffed with a wooden contraption and he had a cloth in his mouth, probably to stop him from talking and therefore screaming for help.

Slowly but surely he remembered the tunnel and him and Neil falling down, and then the sweet smell… And that was all Kevin could recall.

He listened, but the cawing bird and the cart on the road were the only things he heard. Maybe Neil hadn’t woken up yet.

Kevin felt uneasy. It could be that he and Neil had been split up. 

The cawing continued. 

Dan! Kevin’s mind supplied. Then Neil must be near.

Feeling relieved, Kevin let his mind wander off to other things, like how Andrew was doing. Was he here too? Had Abelard caught him?

Probably not, Andrew was smarter than that, and probably already on his way to help them. And yet Kevin couldn’t get the image of Andrew being taken as well out of his head. Hopefully Nicky, Erik, Katelyn and Aaron at least would know something fishy was going on and investigate. Chances of them finding the three of them was small, but it was reassuring to know at least someone would be concerned.

They hit a nasty bump in the road, making Kevin hit his head against the cart hard.

“Watch it!” Someone – probably a Grey Guard – said. “You’ll damage the cargo! We have to take them to the Shadowlands unhurt if we don’t want to end up in the Shadowarena ourselves.”

“Sorry,” another said.

Kevin’s mind went into overdrive. They were being taken to the Shadowlands? No-one had ever gotten out of there! If they reached their destination, there was no way they’d be able to continue the quest!

His hands flew to his middle, where the Belt was sitting, safely tucked away underneath his tunic. It was reassuring that he still had it, but Kevin knew once they got into the Shadowlands, the Shadowlord would get his hands on it and all would be over. 

They had to escape. Somehow.

Andrew pushed his horse to run faster.

“Andrew wait! If you go this fast, the horses will be too tired to take us back home!” Nicky said.

Andrew ignored him, but when Aaron came up next to him and took his reigns, he had no other option but oblige.

“We understand the gravity of the situation, but thinking ahead might help us succeed,” his twin told him.

Andrew knew that, but he was scared to lose sight of Dan, as it was getting darker and darker with the minute.

Aaron knew this as well, but the point still stood.

“Let’s continue, but slower this time,” he said, eyeing Andrew.

Andrew nodded and looked at the sky, to where Dan slowly started to disappear in the black of the skies, blending in perfectly with her feathers. 

His mind went to Wymack, who had made him promise to take care of Kevin. ‘It’s a dangerous world. I trust your judgment better than Kevin’s.’

He wished he had taken the other two with him on that judgment, instead of making them keep up appearance with Mother Kathy in case he was wrong.

Unfortunately, Andrew didn’t have any means to turn back time and do it all over again, and wallowing in self-pity and regret wasn’t going to help him with the mission.

So he promised the Wymack in his head that he’s get Kevin back safe and sound and asked him to make sure both he and Neil were still alive and kicking.

The cart Kevin was on stopped, and one of the Grey Guards got Kevin out of his bag and hoisted him over his shoulder.

“Aw man! You drove too hard!” The other Grey Guard said, making Kevin look up and the Guard holding him turn around.

“You damaged this one!” the first Grey Guard continued. “Look at all the blood.”

“Well, we can just leave him here and blame it on Kathy, saying she just got one out instead of the minimal three.”

Kevin trashed in the Guard’s grip, kicking him in the stomach in protest.

“Ow! Stay still you filth!” The Grey Guard prodded his side, but Kevin knew he could do no harm to him if he didn’t want to end up in the Shadowarena, so he continued his kicking until the Grey Guard put him against a tree and tied him up there.

“I think he doesn’t want his friend to be left here,” the Grey Guard holding Neil said.

Kevin could not see Neil’s face, as the Grey Guard was holding Neil over his shoulder and was turned towards Kevin, but he scanned Neil’s legs and back for injuries nonetheless.  
There were none, which could not mean anything good.

“You know what?” The Grey Guard Kevin had attacked said. “We’ll let him keep his friend until we ride out again at dawn.”

Kevin was furious, but the Grey Guard had already walked over and thrown Neil’s body next to Kevin, tying him up to the tree as well, with the same chain used to tie Kevin’s wooden block-construction to the tree.

He walked back to his fellow Guard before Kevin could do or say anything, but this just gave Kevin an opportunity to assess Neil’s injury.

It looked bad. The entire left side of his head was sticky with blood and Kevin would probably need to clean it to see where the blood was coming from.

With some difficulty he got Neil’s head to lay on his lap, in hopes of waking him up.

One of the Grey Guards walked over, removed the gag and put something beige and rectangular on Neil’s head.

“If I were you, I’d eat something. It’s probably the last you’re going to get before you’re thrown into the Shadowarena.” Laughing, the Grey Guard walked away again, having Kevin glare at his back.

While eating the awful bread-like thing – was this what Grey Guards ate all the time? No wonder they were always so mean and grumpy – Kevin took the time to think.

Andrew wasn’t here, which meant he was either on his way to save them or got captured and was being transported with a different squad of Guards. 

They were staying near a forest and nighttime was falling fast, so if Kevin could break the chain keeping their wood-cuffs – he decided to call them wood-cuffs – from the tree they could get out and sneak away with the darkness covering their tracks.

Dan had not grown silent and was still cawing, which was annoying the Grey Guards but they didn’t do anything about it, so she continued doing so undisturbed.

Neil stirred. Kevin looked down at his lap.

The redhead’s eyes were open, but fuzzy, so he wasn’t fully awake yet.

“Just in time for the delicious bread,” Kevin said, offering some to Neil.

Neil blinked a few times, assessing his surroundings and noticing how his head – which hurt like crazy – was on something soft and cushy, how it was still dark – though that could also be his spotty vision – and how something was moving in front of his eyes.

“How are you feeling?” Kevin asked softly.

“I’m fine,” Neil said.

“The entire left side of your face is bloody.”

“Where are we?”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, but we need to get out. When the dawn breaks, I’ll be put back on the cart to be transported to the Shadowarena, while they throw you on the street because of your injuries.”

“Where’s Andrew?”

“Not here.”

Neil glared at Kevin, or at least he glared in the general direction Kevin’s voice was coming from, as his face was indistinguishable due to him being vague blobs in Neil’s eyes.

Kevin frowned at him, seeing how Neil’s eyes couldn’t focus and the blood was making Kevin’s pants wet.

“Neil?”

“Hm?”

“Stay awake, okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Kevin sighed. “Not what I asked and untrue. Your wounds need treatment, if I have to go off the amount of blood.”

Neil didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at some bushes near them. Something there had startled Dan, warning him against possible attackers.

Kevin didn’t even notice that Dan had stopped cawing until she did it again. Then he was startled by Neil trying to get off his lap, wriggling from under his arms and sitting as upright as he could.

“Wha-” Then he heard the rustling of bushes and looked in the same direction Neil was staring at.

Andrew, Aaron and Nicky put their horses next to the road when Dan flew down, meaning they had to be close.

They sneaked up to the small camp the Grey Guards had made and observed the situation from behind their bushes.

Both Neil and Kevin were there, both chained to a tree with wooden blocks around their hands. There were two Grey Guards, both eating and laughing while the night fell.

“There are just two of them,” Nicky said. “So we can easily take them out and free Kevin and Neil.”

“And we better hurry with the latter,” Aaron said, nodding to the duo.

Andrew had seen it as well; Neil was laying on Kevin’s lap with a bloodied face, which couldn’t mean any good.

The redhead was having a hushed conversation with Kevin, who looked worried, frowning and pinching his lips. 

Then Dan cawed again, and Neil’s attention was drawn to the bushes near the two of them.

Andrew frowned, but then those bushes started shuffling, and something was thrown towards the Grey Guards.

Smoke flew out of the canister and the Grey Guards shouted in confusion before growing silent. Kevin had pushed Neil down and was glaring at the bushes, ready for action but hopefully smart enough to know he was no match for whoever decided to attack them, as he was still chained up and had no weapons. 

Andrew drew his knife, making Nicky grab a stick – he might call it a staff, but Andrew did not want to classify it as a valid weapon – and Aaron put a hand on his sword. They both had little experience with fights, but they claimed to know how to use the weapons. 

Before any of them could jump out, they were all surprised to see Doom appear out of the bushes, carrying a knife. This should have made Andrew jump up and attack the man, but he held his hand out first, as if he was calming down an animal.

“Doom?” Kevin asked. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re rescuing you!” A young male jumped out of the bushes, with black hair, brown eyes and a smile on his face. “So don’t be scared.”

Kevin recognized him from the Rithmere Games, as he had been at the infirmary. Neil thought he recognized the voice from the boy who had served them the poisoned nectar, but as he couldn't see well, he couldn't confirm it was the same boy. It did make his previous statement a little shaky, as he had been the one trying to poison them. if he was that same person, that is.

“We have every right to be scared,” Neil muttered. 

Andrew looked at the two Grey Guards. One was laying on the ground, passed out due to whatever was in the canister, but the other had somehow resisted it and was getting up, grabbing his sword.

“Go to the others,” Andrew told Nicky and Aaron, before running out of their hiding place and throwing his knife towards the Grey Guard.

He hit the Guard square in the head, making him poof to dust, and grabbed his knife before killing the other Guard just to be sure and joining the others.

“Andrew!” Kevin said, happily.

He was in the process of being cut free, while the boy and Aaron both observed and tried to treat Neil’s injury while Neil tried slapping them away.

Matt jumped out of Andrew’s shirt and joined the redhead on the ground, nuzzling him happily.

“Oh hey Matt,” Neil said, a little surprised.

“We need to get moving,” Doom said, looking Andrew up and down. “Who knows when they’ll start looking or a random passerby appears.”

“We’ll grab our horses!” Nicky said. “We have three, located not far from here.”

“Riko, join this man and retrieve the horses. The others go with me.”

“Why are we following his orders?” Neil asked while Aaron wiped some more blood away with a random piece of cloth he had. 

“Because he saved ours lives?” Kevin said. 

“Andrew was going to do that as well.” Neil’s speech was getting slurred.

“Stay awake now Neil,” Aaron murmured to him, before turning to the others. “We need to get him somewhere safe.”

Doom nodded, cut Kevin free and put his knife away again. “Follow me!”

Nicky and the other boy – Riko apparently – ran into the other direction, while Doom hoisted Neil up Kevin’s back.

“I can walk,” Neil protested, before almost sliding off Kevin’s back because he couldn't muster the strength to put his arms around the other boy’s neck. 

“Liar,” Andrew said, placing his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They quickly ran off into the night, followed by the sound of running horses.

It didn’t take them long to reach the place Doom deemed safe, but in that time Neil fell unconscious again and Kevin had to carry him.

The place was a large cave lit by torches. In the far back were two blankets representing beds and a nightstand for a few supplies. 

“Put him onto one of those and treat his wounds, before they become dangerous.” Doom pointed to the blankets and grabbed some wood to start up a fire.

Riko guided Kevin towards some blankets and pillows on the ground. When Neil was laying there safely, Kevin joined Andrew, Nicky and Doom by the fire, while Aaron stayed to aid Riko.

“I have some ointment to put on his head,” Aaron said, grabbing a vial out of his purse and holding it up to Riko, who took it and rubbed some on Neil’s cleaned cut.

Andrew watched the two work for some time and then turned his attention towards the conversation Kevin and Doom were holding again.

“How did you know we were captured?” Kevin asked the man.

“We have held a close eye on the Games for some time, and we knew that they were just a ruse to get more fighters for the Shadowarena.” Doom put another log down and decided the fire was lit enough for him to sit down. 

“You’re from the Resistance,” Andrew said, crossing his arms.

Doom looked up. “Yes. We wanted to free the captured finalists to-”

“Ask us to join your cause,” Andrew finished his sentence.

Doom smiled. “You’re a smart one. Was that the reason you didn’t get captured?”

Andrew didn’t answer.

“We could really use the help,” Riko said, joining them while Aaron cleaned his hands. “Every man fighting against the Shadowlord means one day closer to that longed for victory and the freedom of Deltora.”

“No thank you, we have our own thing going on,” Andrew said.

Doom huffed, but smiled nonetheless. “I thought so. You three are definitely up to something.” He eyed Andrew, but when he stayed silent and just stared back, Doom continued. “Rabbit wasn’t supposed to make it to the finals you know?”

Kevin huffed. “No-one was. You tried to eliminate all competitors by poisoning them.”

“Seth was supposed to be put up against me, as it’d be easier for me to escape with Riko’s help from the infirmary than from the Inn. So we thought up this plan to eliminate whoever was with me and Seth in those semi-finals and have the final match be us two. Rabbit really made those plans fall through by refusing the nectar, which meant I now had to lose against him.”

“As if that’s any different to losing to Seth,” Kevin said, frowning a little and remembering how excellent Neil is with his knife, and how light his footwork whenever he fought from the time they sparred in Ralad.

“It was harder to make plausible to the audience. Not to be rude, but he’s quite small.”

Neither Andrew nor Kevin commented, Andrew because he knew he was smaller than Neil was and was debating whether to take this as an insult or not and Kevin out of respect to his friend.

Doom huffed and smiled again. “You three sure are something. It actually surprised me to see you at the Inn, but it also made things more interesting.” He shifted his gaze from Andrew to Kevin. “As I suspect you three are the cause of the disappearance of the Shadowlord’s influence in the east.”

Again, Andrew and Kevin didn’t answer. Nicky’s eyes however, lit up.

“Really? Wow, I’m really happy to be part of your family then.”

Doom’s eyebrows twitched a little, while Aaron rolled his eyes.

“Why don’t you just stop the Rithmere Games if they are just a ruse to get more fighters?” Andrew asked. “Just kill Mother Kathy and you’re practically done.”

“It will make the Shadowlord even more mad than he already is,” Doom said. “As long as we can keep our heads low and make sure he doesn’t know our plans, secret hideouts and numbers, we can eventually throw him over.”

“Eventually,” Andrew parroted.

Kevin slapped his arm. “I want to thank you for saving us Doom. It must have taken a lot of planning and preparations to do so.”

Doom glanced at Kevin. “If you cannot repay me by joining, why don’t you do that by telling me your real names and cause?”

“No,” Andrew said before Kevin could react and do it politely.

This earned him an amused huff. “Kind of saw that coming. Well, let’s have something to eat while we wait for Rabbit to wake up then.”

So they did, and when Nicky couldn’t handle the silence anymore he started chatting to Doom and Riko about how he always liked the Resistance and rooted for them, but if he were honest he thought they were just a myth to make the people feel better.

After some time Riko went to Neil to check on him again. When his hand touched the redhead’s forehead to check his temperature – which had spiked and was the cause of him collapsing mid sentence (he was sassing Doom about beating him in the Games) and falling unconscious - but Neil chose that exact moment to wake up. 

Confused, he looked up at the other boy. “Why is your hand on my forehead?”

Riko turned red. “Ah! I- I was just checking you-”

“YOU WOKE UP!” Nicky crashed into Neil, who let out a surprised ‘oof’.

“Welcome to the land of the living,” Andrew said. “Your junkie brain may see another day.”

“My head hurts?” Neil touched his forehead, which freed him from Nicky’s hug and replaced it with storytelling.

“So anyways, all we don’t know is how you got the wound.”

“The Guards were talking about trying to ride safely as not to damage us,” Kevin said, but Neil shook his head, remembering the tunnel at Kathy’s Inn.

“No. When the trap set in I felt the floor shift a little and tried to jump to the other side. I guess that went wrong somehow, as the next thing I remember is waking up here.”

“Not even the rescue?” Nicky sounded surprised. 

Neil just looked at him, which made the taller boy grin sheepishly.

Aaron had come over now as well, eyeing the bandages curiously, but when those passed whatever standard he had in his head, he rose up and looked at Andrew.

“I think we’re good to go back to Rithmere now. I think Katelyn and Erik have the meals and other preparations ready by now, so-”

“I think it’s best for us to part ways.” Andrew didn’t look up from the fire. “We have a mission to complete, something we cannot tell you about, and it cannot wait any longer.”

“But N- Rabbit’s injured!” Nicky protested.

“I’m fine,” Neil said, sitting up and discarding the blanket.

“We should ban you from saying that,” Andrew muttered. “But anyways; he’ll be fine. We’ve been through worse.”

He eyed Doom, daring him to comment on it. The brown-haired man just smiled.

“Well, have a safe journey then.”

“But-” Riko tried, as he’d been looking at this exchange a little horrified.

“We cannot make them join us against their will,” Doom said. “And to be honest?” His smile turned into a semi-grin. “I have the feeling we’ll meet again someday.”

Kevin frowned, but Doom wasn’t being ridiculous. They had met at Luther’s, and again in Rithmere, so maybe they’d meet again in the future. It wasn’t that impossible.

Riko let it go, still looking disappointed, but not as much as Nicky and Aaron.

“Do you really have to go?” Nicky asked, voice tiny. 

Kevin smiled sadly. “Yeah, but don’t worry. When everything’s over, we can all celebrate it. Together.”

“I’ll go with you.” Aaron looked at them. “You can use the help, and I know a lot of healing and potions and-”

“Aaron.” Andrew locked yes with his twin. “I’ll come back. We all will. I promise.”

Aaron scoffed. “How do I know you will?”

“Because I want to know my biological family now as well, as I’ve found out I actually have one. Besides.” He nodded to Doom. “If you join them you might be able to keep tabs on us, as I’m sure Doom will do.”

Nicky smiled and pulled Aaron into a sidehug. “We will. Take care.”

“We will.” Andrew watched how Neil joined Kevin and strapped his knife into his belt, both actions being a little out of balance but good enough to pass judgment until they were out of reach.

Kevin smiled as well. “It was nice meeting you all.”

“Yeah, real pleasure,” Neil said, glaring at Doom.

Doom huffed. “Well. We’ll be off soon as well then.”

Riko looked at them with sad eyes. “We could have become one team you know? We’re all fighting the same enemies.”

“Same enemies, different levels,” Andrew told him.

“Thanks for bandaging my head.” Neil pointed to the white on his head. 

“No problem.”

And with that, the trio left the others in the cave, but before they could travel any further, Nicky ran out of the cave.

“I will miss you all so much!” He told them with tears in his eyes, hugging the three of them all at once.

Neil froze up, Kevin frowned and Andrew just sighed.

Nicky let them go again and smiled. “The best of luck and everything cousin.” He hesitated at first, but when Andrew didn’t back away, Nicky put his hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “You can do this.”

Aaron came out now as well, arms crossed and face blank. His eyes told a different story however, and his voice wavered a little when he started speaking.

“The Grey Guards’ absence might have been noticed already, so wherever you’re going, I’d be careful. They’ll be hunting down their lost champion and semi-finalist like their lives depend on it.”

“Because it does,” Kevin said. “But sure, we’ll be careful. You two be safe as well.”

“We will be.” Nicky grinned. “Although as full-time members of the Resistance that might sound untrue.”

“I think you’ll be just fine.” Neil smiled a little. “Just like we will be.”

Nicky smiled back and hugged them all once more, while Aaron just gave them a simple nod before returning to the cave with Nicky, probably to discuss the terms with Doom and Riko.

“Let’s go,” Andrew said to the other two. “The Shifting Sands are waiting for us.”

A few days later, they reached a small spring in the forest, where they treated themselves to some rest and cleaning up, especially Neil’s bandaged head.

It was healing well, but Andrew and Kevin still kept an eye out for any abnormalities or signs that Neil might be getting worse.

Neil showed no such signs, and when they reaches the edge of the forest, his wound had healed with the help of his mother’s ointment – which needed some refill, so after the Shifting Sands they had to look for the ingredients and have Neil make some new stuff.

“He must be feeling much better,” Kevin said, watching Neil jump from rock to rock, climbing the hill Dan was leading them over towards the Shifting sands way faster than either Kevin or Andrew.

Andrew just grunted, silently cursing the redhead for being so energetic.

“Hey slowpokes! Walk a little faster!” Neil waved from his spot way up the hill. “I found something interesting!”

A few minutes later, they were all standing next to a giant rock. There used to be a text carved into it, but most of that text had disappeared in time, leaving only these ominous lines:

TH S I TI G SA S, BEW RE: DA GER  
THE ND LIES WIT IN ITS ROC Y  
WALL , W ERE ALL A E ONE, O E  
WILL RULES LL. BE LO TH DE D,  
T E LIV NG STRIVE WI H  
MINDLE S WILL TO  
S V IVE

“What does it say?” Neil asks.

Kevin and Andrew looked at him.

“What?”

“I keep forgetting you can’t read,” Kevin said.

“We should teach you sometime. It would be a little too sad if you died someday because of your inability to read,” Andrew said, prompting Neil to glare at him.

“I cannot make out much, but the first line says ‘the shifting sands, beware: danger’.” Kevin tilted his head, as if that would make the text become more readable.

“‘The end lies within its rocky walls, where all are one, one will rules all. below the dead, the living strive’,” Andrew continued reading, ignoring his brother’s antics. “The last line is too vague for me to read now.”

“That’s the strangest thing I have ever heard,” Neil said, frowning. “The text, I mean. What does it even mean?”

“How should we know?” Andrew said.

“Maybe it has to do with the Guardian of the Shifting Sands?” Kevin prompted, but he was just guessing.

It was their best guess though, as no-one could come up with any other explanation.

Dan cawed, making Neil look up and listen intently.

“What was the first line again?” he then asked.

“‘Shifting sands, beware: danger’?” Kevin said.

“No, the first line of the riddle’s, Andrew’s first line, not your first and only.”

Kevin glared at the redhead. “‘The end lies within its rocky walls’.”

Dan cawed again. Neil started grinning.

“Dan says she saw cliffs similar to the description not too far up ahead.” He pointed into the direction she told him to, making Kevin and Andrew look that way as well.

The trees were blocking the view, but they trusted Dan’s judgment and Neil’s translation-skills to guide them, so they walked over – or in Neil’s case racing the other two on his own because he was bringing out his inner child for some reason. 

A few moments later they were standing in front of said cliff, which did resemble the description the rock gave them quite well. It made Andrew wonder what other messages it could be displaying, as they hadn’t solved the other lines and one line wasn’t much more than a few letters which had to resemble a sentence. 

“We’re almost there,” Kevin muttered. 

Andrew left his thoughts of the stone. There was no way he was going to miss an opportunity to make fun of his brother again. “Are you getting sentimental?”

“I am not!” Kevin glared at his brother, but then he remembered the vision. The emptiness around him. The buzzing sound. The names he was shouting against the wind.

“Let’s go up,” Neil said. “It looks like quite a climb. Especially for non-experienced climbers.”

“Is that an insult, or an invitation?” Andrew asked.

Neil grinned. “Let’s find out.”

Of course he was the first up top. Growing up he had to climb dangerous trees, meaning he was a natural by default. He was way too caught up in the view to poke fun at the other two, and when Kevin and Andrew joined him looking at the Shifting Sands, they understood.

The Shifting Sands were a desert, but as none of the trio had ever seen deserts, they had to take in the view and adore it.

Red dunes and sand spread out far and wide, covering the entire horizon. It was like looking at a red, calm sea, with the sun making it pop out even more.

“It’s beautiful,” Kevin said in awe.

The other two silently agreed.

“Maybe I’ll like the desert as well,” Neil said. “It’s better than a city filled with rats and a hungry snake or a dark lake with a sad monster in it.”

“But no better than the Forests of Silence?” 

“Nothing beats home.”

“Let’s find you a new one then,” Andrew said. “One without murderous trees, carnivorous creatures and cursed knights.”

“That’s not even describing the place a little!”

Before Andrew and Neil could start bickering again, Kevin started climbing down, forcing the other two to follow suit and put their differences aside to catch up.

The climb down was easier but also a lot more dangerous, as some rocks were way more lose and both Kevin and Andrew forgot from time to time not to put their entire weight onto the foot stepping down.

Luckily, they all came down safely. Unfortunately, that meant feeling the hot air and Kevin and Andrew regretting putting on a cloak.

When those were put inside their bags, they started walking. 

Kevin was almost feeling a peace, taking in the sights and ignoring the heat, but then he started to hear some buzzing.

It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on why it did. It made him stop walking, which made Andrew and Neil notice the frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked.

“Don’t you hear it?”

“Hear what?” Neil asked slowly, eyeing Andrew to make sure he wasn’t the only one not hearing whatever Kevin was hearing.

Kevin was stumped. They didn’t hear it? Maybe it was just him then. Maybe he was tired.

He shrugged and continued walking, but Neil stopped him from continuing by putting his hand in front of the other boy.

“I’m fine,” Kevin said.

“That’s my line.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m probably just a little tired.”

“We can rest.”

“It can wait.” And with that, Kevin pushed Neil’s hand aside and continued on, wondering why he was the only one hearing it and failing to notice the glance the other two shared before following suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ello. It's ya author here. Y'all ready for some explaining?  
Riko Moriyama, the sad(istic) raven captain, plays the role of Dain. Anyone who has read Deltora Quest might understand, so I ask of you to please keep it a surprise for the readers who haven't.  
Riko was one of the easiest characters to fit. Strange enough Neil, Andrew and Kevin were the most difficult, as I struggled with how I wanted their relationships to be and what I wanted their families to be like, but I am quite happy with how it turned out to be.  
Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Again, thank you all for your patience.  
And don't worry. Updates will be able to become more frequent because of all my newfound freedom, so expect a two-weekly update again! (With maybe sometimes a bonus when I feel like it)
> 
> As always, Lots Of Love and see you the next chapter! <3


	18. The Shifting Sands

“I’m taking back whatever nice things I said about the desert,” Neil said. “I hate it.”

“What made you change your mind?” Andrew asked with a flat voice. “The endless dunes of sand, the scorching sun or the fact that we’ve been walking for hours now and still haven’t found even the slightest clue of where the next gem might be hidden?”

“What do you think!” Neil threw up his hands. “And you forgot the fact that there’s no water anywhere.”

“I was pointing that out with my comment of ‘endless dunes of sand’. Maybe you should use your ears a little more.”

“Maybe you should use your-”

Kevin decided to tune out of the conversation and just trekked on, lost in thought and annoyed by the still persistent buzzing sound. 

He couldn’t locate where it was coming from, as it seemed to be all around them, and he still didn’t know where he might have heard it before. He just knew it was familiar.

Then, all of a sudden, the buzzing stopped. 

“Huh?” Kevin said, not realizing he was saying it out loud and had startled both Neil and Andrew. “It stopped.”

“What stopped?” Andrew asked.

“Is this about the sound you were hearing and we were not again?” Neil added.

Kevin stared at them for a while. Then he just shrugged. The other two shared a look.

“Could you describe the sound to us. Maybe it helps.” Andrew raised one of his eyebrows slightly, waiting for Kevin to answer.

Kevin thought for some time. “It-it’s buzzing. Like… Like a thousand bees buzzing all at once, but then less loud.”

“Is it like Reeah again?”

Good question; Kevin had no idea whether or not it was like Reeah. So he shrugged again, shaking his head a little.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m tired.”

Andrew decided to take it, but also promised himself he would keep an eye on Kevin. After the kidnapping he might be a little shook, or maybe he had some head trauma they didn’t know about. All the more reason to keep an eye out.

“Have you heard it before?” Neil asked.

Kevin frowned. “I… think?” And then, it dawned on him. “Wait I have. In the vision the Opal showed me.”

Another look was shared between Andrew and Neil.

“Can you tell us about the vision?” Andrew asked. “Like what happened in it?”

Kevin bit his lip. “I-I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You can tell us.” Neil held up Matt. “And if you don’t want to tell us, you can tell Matt.”

“Won’t you hear it as well if I do?”

“We will, but you won’t tell us directly. Maybe it helps.”

Matt squeaked and nuzzled Kevin’s palm as Neil let him slide from hand to hand. Kevin smiled and scratched the little guy under his belly. Matt continued squeaking and nuzzling until Kevin almost forgot Andrew and Neil were still there.

“It was windy,” he started, rubbing under the little fluff on top of Matt’s head, “and I could barely see anything. Around me was a buzzing noise, just like the one I keep hearing now. I was all alone and shouted your names, but neither of you replied.” Kevin’s face dropped. “It made me feel miserable.”

Andrew and Neil said nothing. Neil just hugged Dan closer, who cawed softly. 

Matt rubbed his head against Kevin’s palm and then moved up his arm to sit on his shoulder and nuzzle Kevin’s face, making him laugh a little.

“Kevin,” Andrew then said, making his brother look up. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Kevin frowned slightly. “How? Visions are pretty definitive.”

“But you also have to remember the Opal is the symbol of hope. While the visions you see may be inevitable, maybe they can help you and guide you to something better.”

Kevin and Neil stared at him.

“What?”

“I didn’t know you listened to dad reading us the Belt of Deltora.”

“I didn’t know you could be so philosophical. And that there’s a book confusingly named the Belt of Deltora.”

Andrew rolled his eyes and ignored both of the statements, opting to walk ahead and continue their search for the fourth gem.

“Just a small question,” Neil said, after he and Kevin caught up to Andrew again. “How long do you think we’ll spend aimlessly wandering this desert before our food and water runs out? I know we have to find the gem, but without much of a plan we’ll eventually die.”

“We can always retrace the footprints we leave in the sand,” Kevin said. “And as for a plan, how about we just wait for the gem to find us.”

“You mean for the Guardian to come out and try to steal the Belt,” Andrew retorted. “I mean, you’re not wrong about it finding us, but it’s not the gem that finds us.”

“Whatever. All we just have to do is wander and the fight will be brought to us.”

“Great,” Neil said. “I love it.”

He looked at the trails behind them. His mother’s lessons and taught instincts kicked in again, making him grab Kevin and Andrew’s arms to make them stop.

“Shouldn’t we do something about those tracks? I mean, yes, we will be finding our way out in no time, but it will also give potential enemies the opportunity to follow us.”

Andrew raised his eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could be smart.”

“Andrew be nice,” Kevin said. “Neil makes a great point-”

“Which I was complimenting him on.”

“It didn’t sound like that. Anyways, what should we do about it?” Kevin directed his gaze at the redhead, ignoring his brother’s mutterings.

“Maybe we should make some fake trails? To throw them off our hook?”

Kevin nodded, but before he could react to it, Andrew put a hand on both of their mouths, effectively silencing them. He was staring at something.

Matt was also looking at the same thing, hairs up and tail curled around Kevin’s neck, which tickled a little. Dan’s claws are also firmly placed in Neil’s shoulder, meaning she also didn’t like it.

What they were looking at – and what Kevin and Neil’s attentions were drawn to because of this – was a strange blob sitting on the desert sand.

It was green-greyish and had small, brown, weird-looking mantises with one big, green eye on top of their head and a strange, beak-like mouth with teeth. The creatures were as big as Neil and Andrew were, approximately, and they were making weird clacking sounds while eating the blob. 

“What are those?” Kevin asked when Andrew put his hands down.

“How should I know?” his brother hissed. “But I don’t think they’re friendly.”

“Agreed,” Neil said, but before he could continue, Dan cawed in his ear as a warning.

He looked back and narrowed his eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked, taking his eyes off the strange creatures.

“Dan says Grey Guards are coming.”

This alerted the trio, who all started listening intently. 

Dan was right. Not too long after they could hear voices arguing about losing a Champion and the Shadowlord having their heads if they didn’t deliver them to the Shadowarena.

“We need to hide,” Kevin said.

“Where? Behind that grain of sand right there? One of the dunes? There is nowhere to hide!” Neil almost yelled.

“We can hide underneath Kevin’s cloak,” Andrew said. “We just need to be quick, so shut your mouths and do what I do.”

He didn’t wait for their response and immediately started executing his plan. Step by step he placed his feet in the footsteps he had created earlier, tracing his way back to a dip between the dunes they had walked past, which would be a perfect place to hide.

Kevin and Neil quickly followed, as soon as they got what Andrew was trying to do. Neil had to admit it was quite a neat plan, even if it was just to himself.

Andrew jumped off the dune they were walking on and slid down. When they were all there Kevin undid his cloak and put it over the three of them.

And not a minute too late; the Grey Guards were visible on the horizon.

“Don’t move or make a sound,” Andrew whispered.

“Yeah yeah,” was Neil’s reaction, one Andrew decided to ignore before they started bickering again.

The Grey Guards ran up the dune and stood there, confused.

“Where did they go?” One asked.

“How am I supposed to know?” Another said. “Do you think one of the Sand Beasts got them?”

“No, we would have seen it,” the third said. “Maybe they hid in the sand. Let’s start looking.”

So the Grey Guards started poking in the sand with their swords. The trio knew that the longer they waited, the more chance there would be of being found. One of the Guards was bound to stumble over their huddled forms.

“There’s three of them and three of us,” Neil whispered. “We can take them on.”

“Let’s wait,” Andrew whispered back.

Neil wanted to argue, but decided not to in case they got too loud. 

Kevin just stared at the Grey Guards, scratching Matt’s head to keep him calm.

Matt wasn’t afraid necessarily, but the comfort did help, and he was happy to provide it to Kevin by nuzzling in his neck. 

But then one of the tiny monsters they had seen before crawled out of the sand in from of them. Matt stiffened.

It turned it’s ugly head and… seemed to observe them. Matt didn’t like it, he didn’t like it at all.

The monster screeched and waved with its front paw-things, and that was all Matt could take. He wanted out.

With a high pitched yelp Matt jumped off Kevin’s shoulder and left the safety of the cloak, in an effort to get away from the mantis-thing.

It turned its head, green eye turning red, but before it could do anything Neil jumped out as well, to grab Matt and get him to safety.

If Neil had anticipated the monster attacking, then maybe he could have made it back into the cloak, but as he was just jumping after Matt in an effort to hide him from the Grey Guards, the monster’s attack instead hit his leg, scratching it with its tiny teeth.

Neil yelped, grabbed his dagger and hit the monster right in the eye, but it just slid off. Stunned, he tried to look for other placed to hit, but by then Andrew had come out as well and hit the beast in the back, making it screech loudly and crawl back into the sand. 

Kevin sighed and put his cloak back on. He better bring the fight to the Grey Guards now as well, as the other two had blown their cover.

“There they are!” one of the Grey Guards yelled, making the other two turn around and storm to them as well.

The trio grabbed their weapons, Andrew pulling Neil up his feet with Matt perched on his shoulder. Dan cawed aggressively, as if she was daring the Grey Guards to even come close and attack them.

Then, all of a sudden, the Grey Guards stopped running towards them. Their eyes had grown wide and one of them had started trembling, pointing with a shaky finger to them.

Dan landed on Neil’s other shoulder, while Matt squeal-yelped again, warning Neil to look behind them.

Neil turned around, and his eyes got wide as well.

Behind him was a big, big version of the monster they had seen before. Just as ugly as the smaller version, but there were some key differences. It had claws and pincers on its limbs, its belly had strange sack-like bulbs hanging from it and it had a sand-colored body instead of a brown one. The other key difference of course was that it was at least six times bigger than its smaller version, meaning it was towering over them, shadow falling next to them.

Andrew and Kevin looked behind them as well, and Kevin gulped.

“Let’s just go,” the trembling Grey Guard said. “They’re not worth it!”

“Y-yeah,” another said, and with that, they all started running.

The mantis-like creature lifted its head and observed the running Guards, the green eye turning red again. 

With a loud, terrifying screech it jumped thirty feet in the air, over the trio of friends who were standing right before it before, and then started running after the Grey Guards, whose yells and panic only grew the moment they learned it had ignored the other three.

“Why is it hunting the Grey Guards?” Kevin said, watching the chase with horror on his face. 

“I think it’s sensitive to movement,” Neil said, eyes narrowing. “Some animals in the forest have something similar, especially the lower class animals. Frogs for instance, are sensitive to the movements and size of a fly.”

“So we’re the flies and that’s the frog?” 

“If you put it like that, I guess so.”

“Then I suggest standing very, very still and not moving a muscle until we’re sure it’s gone.” Andrew said, internally wincing when one of the Grey Guards tripped and fell victim to one of the pincers of – what he assumed was – the Sand Beast.

He knew of Sand Beasts, or Terreocti, as in the Belt of Deltora it had been described how Adin had to defeat one of those to gain the Lapis Lazuli from the Mere Tribe. He hadn’t been able to defeat it, and he knew it the moment he had laid eyes on the beast. Andrew now immediately understood why.

Kevin made a gagging sound when the last Grey Guard was picked up and the Sand Beast started eating him limb for limb, making them listen to the horrified and last-breath gagging and screaming the Guard was doing.

Neil was kind of experienced because of beasts like the Wennbar, but even he thought it was a little gross to see the beast tear the Grey Guards apart. Andrew just kept on a stoic face and just decided to focus on the strange growing bulbs the beast had as his belly. Kevin couldn’t look and decided to stare at the sand, but he didn’t dare move his arms to cover his ears, so he still heard all the yelling and eating sounds.

When the Sand Beast was finished one of the bulbs fell off its body. With a happy screech it stood atop of it, and brought its back stinger into the thing, infusing it with semen. Then, it shook its entire body and dug itself into the sand again.

The trio didn’t dare move for at least another five minutes.

“I think it’s gone now,” Andrew then said.

The other two relaxed. 

“That was… disturbing.” Neil thought for some more and then nodded. “Very disturbing.”

The other two couldn’t help but agree with the redhead.

“Was that the Sand Beast?” Kevin then asked. “The Belt of Deltora described it differently.”

“No it did not,” Andrew said. “Eight limbs, bulbs on its belly, one big eye on top of its head… Sounds like what Adin had to fight but couldn’t.”

“It has an impenetrable skin.” Neil walked ahead to where the Sand Beast had been eating the Grey Guards, wondering if there’s any loot to find. “Or at least, an impenetrable eye. My knife didn’t cut it.”

“It must have,” Andrew said. “It doesn’t have any eyelids, and diving in the sands with a penetrable eye is bound to make you blind.”

Neil didn’t answer, and just looked at the site with a frown. “Uh, guys?”

Kevin and Andrew walked over. There was nothing to see however, so why Neil wanted them to come over wasn’t clear to either of the brothers.

“There are strange markings in the sand,” Neil then said. “Did the Sand Beast grab those as well?”

Andrew and Kevin looked at the sand. And as Neil had said, there were a lot of circular markings in the sand, some with numbers and signs.

“Coins,” Andrew said. “Probably what the Grey Guards were carrying with them.”

“But where did the coins go? The Sand Beast’s pincers are way too big to leave such perfect marks,” Kevin said.

“Maybe another beast took them,” Neil mused. “Something we missed due to us staring at the Sand Beast eating.”

“I think if the beast was walking right underneath the Sand Beast it would have grabbed and eaten that too,” Andrew said.

“Ever heard of symbiosis? When two species live in harmony with each other? Or maybe it was invisible!”

“But then, wouldn’t there be prints of said beast?” Kevin wondered.

“It is possible that it’s a flying animal.” Neil dropped his knife in the sand. “Could you pick that up Dan?”

Dan swooped down and picked up Neil’s knife, not leaving a mark of her even being near. Neil took his knife from her, but it on his belt again and spread out his arms.

Kevin rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, he started hearing the strange buzz again. And this time it was way louder. 

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked him, when Kevin started to look around.

Kevin pointed to the horizon. A sandstorm was on its way.

Andrew immediately got it and grabbed Neil’s arm, forcing them all close together, determined not to lose the two of them again. 

Kevin touched the Topaz in an effort to stay calm, but the gem only made him realize that the buzzing and the storm must have something to do with each other, as the moment the storm washed over his head seemed to explode with how loud the buzzing got.

Andrew pushed his brother to the ground in fear of the sand hurting him, as he had seen the discomfort on his face.

This made Kevin lose contact with the Topaz and take a big gulp of sand, which made him couch and splutter.

Neil clung to Dan and Matt, while he realized he was losing is footing. As the lightest of the trio – Kevin was big and muscular, Andrew small but also muscular, which made him more heavy, while Neil had lean muscles instead of particularly strong ones – the wind was easily making his feet slide over the sand. If it hadn’t been for Andrew, he might have been swept away from the group.

The storm seemed to last for hours, but when it had finally passed, the buzzing sound disappeared and Andrew let go of Neil.

“Did it hurt you?” Andrew asked Kevin, who was gulping down some water to get the sand out of his mouth.

Kevin shook his head. “Not really. It just… The buzzing came back, louder then before. It felt like my head was going to explode this time.”

“Hm.”

Neil observed their surroundings, while petting Matt. Dan was cleaning her feathers, grunting and complaining how she didn’t like the sandstorm for ruining her feathers. 

“That was no ordinary storm,” Kevin said. “The buzzing has something to do with it.”

“So whenever you hear it, a sandstorm will come?” Neil said. “At least that’s neat. Now we’ll know when one is about to come.”

“Great,” Andrew said. “But I do agree with Kevin. That storm couldn’t be a normal sandstorm.”

“Has any of us ever seen a ‘normal’ sandstorm?” Neil asked. “I mean, I agree, but for me it’s more of a gut feeling. Not because of some mysterious Kevin-buzzing or whatever.”

“At least we use logic instead of our instincts,” Andrew countered.

Neil glared at the blond, but then Dan asked him where his knife was, as it had disappeared from its normal spot on his belt.

Andrew and Kevin both frowned when Neil started patting down his pants and middle, frantically looking for his knife.

“What’s wrong?” Kevin asked.

“My knife!” Neil said. “It’s missing!”

Andrew and Kevin looked at each other and then to Neil, who had started looking in the sand. 

He eventually found it. Or well, he found the knife’s imprint.

Neil’s shoulders slumped. Kevin and Andrew came up behind him. They all stared at the imprint for some time.

“Let’s just continue.” Neil turned around and started walking in a random direction. “The sooner we’re out here, the better.”

Dan cawed softly, flew over and landed on his shoulder, but Neil shook her off. 

Andrew frowned. Neil never refuses Dan. Or Matt for that matter, but Dan was the one who got booted.

Kevin held up his hand for Dan to land on and looked at his brother. “Wasn’t that knife the last thing he had from his mother?”

The thing that had bothered Andrew about Neil’s behavior clicked. He nodded and started going after the redhead, a little concerned and wondering how to comfort him. He knew how to comfort Kevin if need be, but Neil had never been upset like this before, so Andrew had no idea how to deal with it.

Kevin caught up as well, and they walked together in silence.

“What if the sand is alive?” he then prompted, startling Andrew and Neil out of their thoughts.

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

“Well, Neil lost his knife during the storm, and the storm had just appeared out of nowhere. So what if the sands are alive?”

“Mindless will to survive,” Andrew prompted. “The last line from the stone, the one we couldn’t figure out.”

“It might be something like that.”’Kevin looked at Neil. “So don’t worry, if the sands are alive, they have to have something to do with the Guardian of this place, and maybe they have your knife. We can get it back.”

“It’s alright. I’m fine. It’s just a knife.” Neil didn’t look Kevin or Andrew in the eye while saying that.

“We really should ban you from saying you’re fine,” Andrew said.

Neil didn’t react, so Andrew let it go and decided to figure out why there were so many blank spaces in that last line. If the sentence they came up with was true, the other blank spaces made no sense, as the letters had to be carved out bigger to fill it all up. So if ‘with mindless will to survive’ wasn’t right, what could be?

The rest of the afternoon was spent in silence, until they had to discuss setting up camp.

“It’s cold,” Neil muttered, shivering a little. 

Matt nuzzled his neck, trying to help, but Kevin just gave Neil one of the blankets and started making a fire. 

Andrew was looking for some food in their backpacks when suddenly something clicked. The other lines were talking about ‘where all are one, one will rules all’, which meant the second word of the last sentence had to be ‘mindless’. But then, what did the second to last sentence mean?

While Andrew was pondering over the strange clues on the stone, Kevin had succeeded in making a fire and Neil sat close to get warm again.

“Don’t sit too close,” Kevin warned him. “You’ll burn yourself.”

“I’m not too close.”

“You’re almost sitting atop the fire Neil,” Andrew said, deciding to let the stone be a mystery for the next day Andrew to solve. “If I were you I’d back off a little.”

“It’s fine. I have never been burned.”

“Doesn’t mean it can’t happen now.”

Kevin accepted the bread Andrew offered him and watched how Neil shuffled back to a safer distance from the fire, muttering how it didn’t matter to him at all and that he was still cold. Dan had flown over to curl up next to Matt sitting next to Neil, and received some absent scratches from Neil while he ate and stared into the fire.

Kevin was just starting to relax when the buzzing sound returned. It sounded far away, but as it was growing louder again he got up and warned the other two.

“Really?” Neil got up angrily. “Why can’t it just leave us alone! Will they take your weapons now as well? So we’re defenseless against the Sand Beasts? How about no?!”

While Neil was ranting, Andrew and Kevin gathered their supplies and were looking for a place to hide and wait it out again. Kevin was getting distracted by the buzz growing louder, but Andrew found them a spot to lay low and just pulled Kevin along there.

“Neil!” He shouted, gaining the attention of the redhead, who sighed and started tying the blanket around his shoulders.

“Hurry!” Kevin shouted, laying in the dip between the dunes while Andrew ran back for Neil.

“I’m coming!” Neil tied the knot, grabbed Dan and Matt and ran towards them, but the storm had already reached them.

Andrew cursed internally, running towards the direction Neil was last, eyes focused on the vague shape he saw standing there.

He grabbed what he assumed was an arm. Neil yelped when Andrew started pulling him along towards the dip, going against the wind and towards Kevin.

Neil held on Dan and Matt for their lives. If he was already slipping and having a hard time walking in this storm, the two of them stood no chance, and there was no way he was going to lose the two of them as well.

Andrew just hoped Kevin was laying low and they were walking in the right direction. He heard his brother call out their names, so he probably was. Hopefully.

Then Andrew remembered the vision Kevin had and started pushing harder. Neil tried to go along, but the wind was getting stronger and he had two tiny lives to care about.

After a while, Andrew felt the dune go downwards again and let himself fall over, pulling Neil along.

Neil landed on top of Andrew, who held him close while they waited for the storm to pass.

Neither of them heard or saw Kevin, so worry started growing, but they both knew it’d be better to stay together and search for Kevin later, if need be.

That didn’t mean they couldn’t worry, and Neil started wondering whether it might be his fault for ranting against the storm instead of grabbing his things and going along with the other two.

When the storm laid low again, Neil got off Andrew and looked around, while Andrew sat up and did the same.

Their biggest fear came true. Kevin was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Neil, holding up Matt**: "Talk to this cute fuzzy ball of love. TALK TO IT!"  
Also: Protective Andrew TM. That's the JAM.
> 
> Heh, another cliffhanger. (WHERE DID KEVIN GOOOOOOO??!)  
Also, for those who have read the book and remember the descriptions of the Sand Beasts (I did not, so at first I wanted to solely use the anime's depiction) and are wondering why only some elements have been used, that's because I looked at the picture of how it was described in the books and then looked at a picture from the one in the anime, and was like: "But they're both awesome and stupid!"  
The book one has colors on its shell, and I'm like 'Butchu live in the desert, and hunt on your prey by hiding and waiting for them to not notice you hanging around before you come out' so for me it didn't make any sense for them to have any other color than the sandish-brown the anime gave them, but there they were so big that I was like 'Bruh, how do you hide so quick in the sand? And how does nothing ever hear you come? U HUGE', so I mixed it up a little and just took the elements of both I really, really liked. Go look on the Deltora Wiki ([ Terreocti Wiki ](https://deltoraquest.fandom.com/wiki/Terreocti)) for the pictures if you're curious.
> 
> Also also, I honestly don't remember any references to past events in the books. It's almost like they're their own little entity and whatever happened before happened but isn't brought up again. That's how it goes in the anime at least, and it really, really bothered me. So yeah, random reference calling is ON. (And if the books did do this, please forgive my ignorance and lazyness to read them again).
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
See you all next time (WHAT HAPPENED TO KEVIIIIINNNNN)  
Lots Of Love <3


	19. The Heavenly Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ThaT'S WhAT HAppeNEd tO KeViN!!!

Andrew and Neil wandered the desert the entire night, shouting Kevin’s name and not stopping to rest before they found their lost friend/brother.

Neil felt terrible. He knew it was his fault for not hurrying up that they’d lost Kevin, for having Andrew come and get him before he could get blown away by the storm. It should have been him who was missing, and not Kevin.

Andrew was more concerned with having lost Kevin not once but twice now, which made his gut clench uncomfortably. He promised the Wymack in his head to bring him back safely, and he knew all Wymack would do was smile and tell Andrew not to give up, and yet it still felt like he was failing his one and only mission: keep Kevin safe. 

He had simply miscalculated, thinking Kevin could hold his own while Neil would most definitely slip away and be lost to the storm if he didn’t have an anchor. But apparently the storm had been too strong, or too disorienting, and now they were missing one member of their little group.

“I’m sorry,” Neil said, all of a sudden.

Andrew turned around and looked at the redhead. Neil’s eyes were a little wet, and he was holding the blanket a little tight, but there shone a fierce fire in those blue eyes, a fire Andrew could watch forever if he could.

He didn’t however, opting to turn around and just continue walking. “What for?”

“If I wasn’t an idiot, you wouldn’t have had to come over and safe me, and Kevin wouldn’t have been lost.”

Andrew barked a laugh. “It’s not your fault. I could have chosen to let you figure it out on your own and stay with Kevin, but I miscalculated and thought the storm wasn’t strong or disorienting enough for us to lose him.”

“That’s not true! You’re logic is flawless, it’s just my idiocy that made you use it that made us lose Kevin!” 

Dan cawed, opting that both might be right, or that it may not be anyone’s fault, but Neil ignored her and Andrew didn’t understand her, so her words were lost to the desert.  
Andrew had stopped again. Neil stopped as well, a little confused.

Quick as lightning, Andrew turned around and grabbed Neil’s collar, shoving their faces close together.

“Listen,” he said, voice low. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. It doesn’t matter who should apologize to who and who is to blame. All that matters now is that we find him and make sure he’s okay, got it?”

Neil swallowed and nodded, a little taken back by Andrew’s sudden aggression towards him. 

Andrew let go and turned around again. “Maybe you can tell Dan to go search for Kevin and report to us when she finds him.”

Dan cawed and took off, making Neil smile.

“She understands you just fine,” he told Andrew.

Andrew huffed. “I didn’t know whether she’d follow my suggestion or not.”

“She’s not stupid, and you usually come with great ideas and plans, so she’d be happy to follow orders as long as they’re not stupid or dangerous.”

“Was that a veiled compliment?”

“Was what a veiled compliment?” When Andrew turned around he saw Neil smiling, and when Neil noticed Andrew looking he dared to wink.

Andrew huffed again and started walking faster, making Neil laugh and follow suit.

Kevin landed roughly in the sand. When the storm had came over them, he immediately felt something tugging on him, especially his middle. As an instinct, he had curled up and started shouting Andrew and Neil’s names, hoping they’d be close and hear his warning.

The tugging continued, but this time it seemed to be focusing on his arms to get them off his middle. 

As Kevin stubbornly held on, the tugging thing gave up, but the wind started blowing harder, meaning he eventually got blown away with it and landed where he was now.  
Still curled up in himself, Kevin prayed that Andrew and Neil were okay. That the buzzing sounds would stop. That they’d find each other soon.

Kevin opened his eyes and got up a little. The blowing sandstorm around him, the endless desert, the loneliness, the buzzing sound that seemed to rule his eardrums… It was just like his vision.

He put his hands on his ears, looked around once more and started shouting: “ANDREW! NEIL!”

As predicted, no-one answered. 

A little beat, Kevin started walking against the storm, but when his eyes started to water from all the sand, he stopped and dropped to the floor. 

His knee hit something hard, making him hiss and lift it to see what hurt him.

It was a wooden bird. A very familiar wooden bird.

Kevin remembered Neil getting it from the sketchy gambling-man, whose cheating ways had been discovered by Andrew and revealed by Dan, making the crowd go mad with anger and greed to grab as much money as they could.

Neil hadn’t been as bummed as Kevin had been with losing their money, saying something along the lines of not being able to win it all.

Kevin grabbed the bird and held it in his fist, determination filling his heart. He was going to find them. No matter what.

So Kevin started walking again, pushing against the wind and keeping his hand on the Belt, as that was what the tugging seemed to be going for. The Topaz confirmed that the storm was trying to steal the Belt, making Kevin hold on even stronger.

After a long, long while, the buzzing sounds stopped and the storm faded. Kevin stumbled for a bit before shielding his hand against the rising sun. 

How did he stay up the entire night in that storm? Kevin had no idea how, but he did know his body started protesting. His legs hurt, his eyes were tired and his throat dry as could be.

Without a plan however, he knew there was no way he’d survive. The Sand Beast was probably just one of many things that could potentially kill him, so Kevin needed some way to survive.

He looked around. In the distance was a tall, towering mountain. It seemed random, in the middle of the desert, but maybe it was just a really, really, really tall and weirdly shaped dune. 

It didn’t matter. If Kevin just kept walking in that direction, he at least had a plan of action. And maybe he could meet Andrew and Neil there, or at least see them coming his way.   
So Kevin started walking, putting the wooden bird in his bag and drinking a little water to stop his throat from feeling sore.

Many, many hours later – they weren’t many hours, but it sure felt like that – Kevin finally reached his point of exhaustion.

Pushing himself to the limit and keep on going wasn’t the best plan, and he noticed the ground had started swaying and moving, as if it was trying to make him feel dizzy and nauseous. 

And you know what? A nap didn’t sound too bad to Kevin. It actually sounded like a really good time.

But some rational part of his brain was still shouting to him that it’d be dangerous to sleep in the desert when no-one was near to keep watch over him. Who know what might happen while he slept? Maybe the storm would return and grab the Belt, or maybe a Sand Beast would attack him and eat him whole.

Just when Kevin had that figured out, he noticed he was laying in the sand. How he got there he didn’t remember, but his exhaustion took over and made him reason that if he was already laying down, why not take a nap and figure it out later.

He closed his eyes and drifted off.

Kevin woke up in a bed. Which was weird in of itself, but the weirdest thing was that he recognized the room as his and Andrew’s. Andrew’s bed was empty, sheets thrown off and disheveled like they usually were. 

Kevin got up and made Andrew’s bed, before walking out the door and entering Del, where Neil and Andrew greeted him happily.

“What are you doing here?” He asked them.

“The market’s in town,” Neil said. “And Andrew insisted I’d have a look, so my primitive forest junkie brain could learn what civilization is like.”

“I worded it differently, but okay.”

Kevin looked between the two of them, wondering when they started liking each other – Neil was smirking and gently bumping his elbow in Andrew’s arm while Andrew just huffed and rolled his eyes, with a small, secretive smile on his face – but then he heard a familiar buzzing.

“KEVIN!” 

He turned around to see his parents on the ground, being tormented by hundreds of bees. Abby was being held by Wymack, who tried swatting the bees away but was eventually overtaken by them and started screaming as well.

Behind him Neil and Andrew were begging him to run, while screaming and being swarmed by the bees as well.

Kevin grabbed his sword, but his sword had turned into a torch, and then he was standing in a forest.

“Hey little apple thief.” From the trees emerged Betsy, smiling gently. “I use smoke to tame my little sweethearts.”

Around Kevin the buzzing got louder, and Betsy grabbed his torch and lit it.

“Use the smoke,” she said, and next to her another Betsy appeared in the forest saying the same thing, and another, and another.

This continued on until the Betsy’s were overcrowding him and even appeared as trees, who set the entire place ablaze while chanting “Use the smoke”.

Kevin started yelling, because the noise wouldn’t stop, it just didn’t, and his head hurt and his throat got raw and when he fell to his knees he saw the mountain he was seeing earlier, but this time it was closer and resembled a tower, made out of bones and sand.

Grossed out he backed away, but his back bumped into someone.

It was Betsy again, still smiling her gentle smile. “Use the smoke to defeat the Hive.”

In the background he heard Dan caw, while Betsy’s smile grew wider and eventually made her turn into a Sand Beast. Kevin blacked out again.

When Kevin woke up with familiar cawing in his ear. Groaning, he turned around, only to find out he had been buried in the sand and almost crushed Dan, who flew off a little irritated.

Confused, Kevin stared at the bird, who now sat atop his knee. “Dan?”

Dan cawed, as if to say that yes, she was Dan, who else?

Kevin laughed, happy and relieved. “Does this mean Andrew, Neil and Matt are close by?”

Dan cawed again, probably affirmative. 

Kevin got up and let Dan hop on his arm. “Tell them I’m alright, and that I’ll wait here, okay?”

Cawing, Dan jumped off Kevin’s arm and took to the air, probably off to wherever Andrew and Neil were. Kevin watched her go, glad that his friends had found him again.

All of a sudden, a shadow appeared over Kevin, who immediately went stiff.

He didn’t dare turn around, knowing that one wrong move could mean his demise, but he also needed to know if what he thought was standing behind him was, as the shadow was too big to really be sure.

Then again, they had only met one creature that big in the Shifting Sands. And that creature was attracted by movement. 

“KEVIN!” Andrew yelled, and Kevin wanted to curse his brother for coming close, but then something flew past him and an explosion made the Sand Beast screech and back off a little.

Andrew and Neil ran towards him, Neil throwing another Fire Bead. 

“We have to go!” Andrew shouted, grabbing Kevin’s arm and tugging him away. “We can only hold it off for so long!”

Neil threw another Fire Bead and started running away, but Kevin tugged himself free of Andrew’s grasp and pointed to the mountain/tower.

“That way!” He shouted, and he started running towards it.

Andrew and Neil followed, and the Sand Beast let out an angry screech.

Then it dove into the sand, Kevin assumed to bypass them and jump out in front of them, but after a few more minutes of running towards the tower – it was definitely a tower now, not a mountain – it hadn’t come out again, confirming what Kevin had thought already.

“Why did it stop following?” Neil asked when they all stopped running and had caught their breath. 

“Because we’re getting close to the center,” Kevin said. “Where the Hive resides.”

His dream made sense now. The bees, Betsy’s advise, the tower… It all fell into place, like pieces of a puzzle getting solved.

“The Hive? Like a bee-hive?” Andrew asked.

“Yes, but these are not bees.” Kevin turned to the other two. “Remember the weird sand storms? That’s the Hive, the Guardian of this place.”

“How did you figure that out?” Neil asked.

“I felt something tugging at my middle, trying to get to the Belt while in that storm. And later, when I passed out from exhaustion, I had a dream with Betsy calling it a hive and telling me to use smoke.”

“A dream?” Andrew raised his eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes! I might sound crazy, but it all makes sense! Bees collect honey, this thing collects treasure! And it buzzes. Not like bees do, but it does sound very similar.” Kevin knew for sure now. “The Hive has been trying to get me to that tower, trying to get the Belt to that tower. So it must have the next gem laying there as well.”

“Sounds legit.” Neil looked at the tower. “But doesn’t that mean we have to keep you and the Belt away from that thing?”

“With mindless will to serve the Hive,” Andrew then muttered, eyes wide. “It fits perfectly!”

The other two looked at him.

“From the riddle. The last sentence had too many blank spaces to be ‘mindless will to survive’, and it bothered me. But ‘serve the Hive’ fits perfectly, and it makes sense. ‘The Shifting Sands, beware: danger. The end lies within its rocky wall, where all are one, one will rules all’.”

“A beehive always seems to share one mind,” Neil commented.

“Exactly, so if we’re dealing with something similar, this Hive can also have one will that rules all. The next line was: ‘Below the dead, the living strive’. If we take Kevin’s offhand comment how the sand might be alive, that could mean the Shifting Sands are the Hive, with the sand being the dead bodies and the sandstorms the living ones.”

“Ew,” Neil said.

“That’s a lot of dead bodies,” Kevin said, looking at the sand in horror.

“Whatever, deal with it. The living strive, as in, they probably live underground, and that tower-thing there could be their entry-way. Now comes the last line, ‘with mindless will to serve the Hive’, which connects with the second line of how there’s just one mind that rules all. They don’t have any will, other than to serve the Hive.”

Kevin and Neil were silent.

“So if we had figured the lines out sooner, we could have known what was waiting for us here?” Neil said.

“Probably. It must have been the intention of the one who put the stone there anyways.”

“They could have made it easier on us.” Neil pretended to write in the air by wiggling with his finger. “‘There are dangerous things called the Hive in this desert, which by the way is it’s dead mindless bee-bodies, and it will take all of your possessions and sanity. BEWARE!’”

Andrew snorted and playfully patted Neil on the back of his head. “That doesn’t rhyme nor sounds ominous.”

“I think the ‘the sand is it’s dead bodies’ does the trick with the ominous part.”

“If you say so. It still doesn’t rhyme.”

“Did the original riddle rhyme?”

“Yes. Strive, Hive.”

Kevin stared at them, thinking of the Neil and Andrew in his dreams, where they were also playfully teasing each other instead of angrily bickering. Since when did that happen? Was it because he had been missing? If he had known it would help make them be friendlier with each other, he’d have made sure to go missing sooner.

“Anyways,” Neil turned to face Kevin. “Why not go to that tower of yours? The sooner we get that gem, the sooner we can get out of this place.”

So they went. And climbed. And almost fell down – Kevin – because one of the bones of the tower broke.

“That was gross,” Kevin said when they had reached the top.

“At least we all got here,” Andrew commented, looking down. “We’ll need all the rope we can get to get one of us down there.”

“I’ll go,” Kevin said. “I have the Belt and know how to defend myself against the Hive.”

“You can also give one of us the Belt and tell us how to defend ourselves,” Neil said. “We’re lighter than you are, and you may be a little heavy for us to pull up again.”

“You can manage, I’m sure of it. I want to do this.”

“What Neil says isn’t unreasonable,” Andrew said. “You are the biggest and most heavy of us three, so it’s better if one of us goes.”

“And since I’m the lightest, I can go,” Neil said.

“No,” both Andrew and Kevin said at the same time.

“Now I’m just offended.”

“Andrew, you don’t like heights, so you’ll freeze up when you should be able to defend yourself.” Kevin gave his brother a sharp look. “And Neil, you have to stay ready to throw a Fire Bead when necessary. We only have two left, and one will be used to make a torch. Since you’re the sharpest thrower, I trust you to handle throwing it when trouble arises.”

Neil huffed, while Andrew just sighed.

“Well, we’ll have to make a pulley then. Otherwise me and Neil will never be able to help you get up.”

So they did, after making sure Neil had stopped complaining how it wasn’t fair that Kevin used flawed logic to get his way. 

Kevin put the rope around his middle and made sure he used a secure knot. When that was the case, he grabbed the torch and lit it with one of the Fire Beads. 

“Good luck down there,” Andrew said. 

Kevin smiled and have him a thumbs up. Then he started his descent into the darkness, while Andrew and Neil make sure he doesn’t plummet down.

While going down, Kevin started hearing the buzzing noise again, and glanced at the other two, who were still up there.

“Wait, KEVIN!” Neil shouted down.

“Neil, what about ‘being stealthy’ don’t you understand?” Andrew asked.

“Don’t you hear it?” Neil pointed to his ear. “I hear buzzing!”

“THE HIVE IS COMING! GET ME DOWN FASTER GUYS!” Kevin yelled.

“GOT IT!” Neil let the rope in his hand run its own course while holding it, meaning he let Kevin's weight be pulled down by gravity.

Kevin yelled when he suddenly started dropping faster, but it did help. The torch he had taken with him started leaving more smoke, and the Hive – who had indeed came to look at their intruders – backed off again, buzzing angrily at the smoke.

Kevin laughed, and then yelled when the ground came into view and he was still plummeting. “GUYS!”

Neil vaguely heard Kevin yell, so he grabbed on his rope again, while Andrew grunted at him. They had agreed that Andrew would be the other person tied to the rope, as an anchor to Kevin. This meant Neil had to do the guiding Kevin down part, and Andrew was already regretting that decision.

“He’ll be fine,” Neil said.

Kevin was not fine. The sudden stop made the rope cut into his belly and that hurt, but at least he hadn’t hit the ground yet.

Carefully, he put his feet on the ground and tugged once on the rope to signal he had reached the floor.

Then he started exploring. The Hive kept a close distance, so he waved with the torch a few times to let it smoke and it backed off again, still keeping a close eye on him.

They lived pretty neatly, in round houses made of treasure and sand, glued together with… something. Kevin honestly didn’t want to know nor find out, so he just put a hand on the Belt and started walking.

The Belt was hot, but the Opal in particular seemed to be growing hotter with every step Kevin took. Musing he must be on the right way to the next gem, Kevin continued walking that way, swatting the Hive away from time to time with his torch.

There was a lot of treasure, making Kevin feel sorry for all the travelers who must have met their end here. Judging by the piles and piles of gold and other shiny things, there must have been a lot of travelers meeting their end in the Shifting Sands.

The Belt grew even warmer, with the Opal glowing like a charcoal in a fire – Kevin had experience, since his young dumbass self thought it’d be safe to touch when Wymack had explicitly said it wasn’t – so Kevin put his hand on his sword as well.

An odd shine grabbed Kevin’s attention. The blue light came from his right, where the center of the tower was. 

There, underneath the structure, was a blue gem, reflecting the light of the torch which almost made it seem to Kevin that it was winking at him.

It was the Lapis Lazuli. Kevin remembered the lines written in the Belt of Deltora about this gem: it was supposed to bring good luck, as it was the symbol of good fortune, and it also had a special bond with the Opal. That was probably why the Opal felt so hot: it recognized the Lapis. 

Kevin wanted to grab it, but the Hive got more persistent and he had to wave around with the torch some more to keep them away. The torch did start to burn out, as Kevin waved a little too furiously and almost caused the wind to make it go out.

He had to get the Lapis quick, before it burned out for real. But there was one other problem, and probably one of the reasons the Hive was attacking him more earnestly now.

If he removed the Lapis Lazuli, the entire structure would collapse. He had to replace it somehow, unless he wanted to be buried alive in all this treasure. 

Kevin pondered this for some time. Did he have anything that could fit? He put the torch down and blew at it, making smoke go right into the Hive’s face.

In his pockets were some coins from Andrew’s winnings of the Rithmere Games, a random piece of string and Neil’s wooden bird.

Kevin eyed the bird and looked at the Lapis. They were roughly the same size. Neil wouldn’t miss his bird that much, would he? Kevin didn’t want to take another thing away from Neil, as he had already lost his mother’s knife to the Hive.

Neil would understand, Kevin eventually argued after creating some more smoke to keep the Hive away from him. And if he was going to be upset about it, Kevin would get him a replacement of some kind. Just like he’d do for Andrew if Andrew got upset about losing something important to him. 

So Kevin grabbed hold of the Lapis, while the Hive started buzzing louder. The fire had to do for now, he couldn’t wave it around if he wanted to grab the gem. 

He took a deep breath. This exchange had to be quick, or else the entire structure would go down anyways.

Kevin grit his teeth, pulled the Lapis loose a little, and then pulled it out entirely while putting the wooden bird in its place.

The structure rumbled. Kevin stayed still, while the Hive buzzed and went to see to its home. Nothing fell, except for some grime. 

Kevin let out the breath again, closing his hand around the Lapis Lazuli. He had made it.

The Hive returned, angrier than before. Kevin grabbed the torch and pulled twice on the rope, signaling he wanted to get up again. 

Up above, Andrew was watching the hole carefully. He had untied the rope around his middle when the tower started rumbling, tying it to a rock they had found to keep the pulley in place instead, and looked in the hole while Neil held onto the rope. If he had to, Andrew would climb down to help his brother, but there was no need to yet, as the rumbling had stopped and nothing had seemed to collapse. And then the rope was being tugged. Twice.

“Help me Andrew,” Neil said, starting to pull with all of his strength.

Andrew ran over and started pulling with Neil, trying to get Kevin out of there as fast as they could.

Kevin in the meantime was being pulled back. Torch in hand and Lapis in his pocket, he swat at the Hive again, who was angry with him for stealing its treasure.

Just when he was a few feet above the ground, Kevin swat too hard and extinguished the torch. The Hive buzzed happily.

Kevin pulled the rope harder, tugging a few extra times in the hopes that the other two would get the message: he had to get out NOW.

Andrew and Neil felt the rope struggle a little, but when they stopped – making Kevin curse his luck while swatting the wood to the Hive in hopes of keeping it away with the tiny smolder left on its top – they recognized it as a message to go faster as Kevin was in trouble.

Andrew cursed and ran to the edge with the rope, using the strength of the run to Pull Kevin up a little faster.

Kevin got pulled up a little higher with that, hurting his stomach even more. 

_Why did they stop again?_ Kevin thought as he swat at the Hive again.

“We can’t go any further,” Andrew said, not looking over the edge of the tower.

Neil pulled and ran as well to the edge, looking over and then looking towards the stone they now used as an anchor.

Kevin was pulled up a little more, coming face to face with a bridge between two round houses. And on top of that bridge was Neil’s knife.

The Hive was coming closer, but Kevin knew he needed to at least try to grab it.

Andrew had started pulling again, but Neil was still looking down the tower.

“How high do you think this thing is?” he then asked Andrew.

“Don’t know, don’t care, help me pull Kevin up!” 

“Do you think Kevin went down the entire tower or more? I’m thinking just the tower.”

“What does it matter?” Andrew yelled, getting a little desperate.

“It matters for what I’m about to do.” Neil put Matt up Andrew’s shoulder, gave him the Fire Bead, grabbed the stone and dragged it to the edge with some visible effort.

Andrew’s eyes went wide when he realized what Neil was about to do, but before he could protest, Neil yelled: “Make sure the rope doesn’t knot! See you down there!”

And then he jumped.

Kevin had just managed to grab Neil’s knife – by swinging back and forth a little and dropping the torch – when he was yanked up.

Yelling, he saw the Hive come after him and passed their home by quickly. 

“You idiot!” Andrew yelled to Neil, before turning and seeing Kevin come up, followed by what he assumed was the Hive.

“Fire Bead! Use the Fire Bead!” Kevin yelled and continued yelling after hearing his brother’s voice.

Andrew put Matt to the ground and prepared himself.

The moment Kevin reached the surface, Andrew grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the floor. He then sat on top of Kevin to keep him there and not have him be dragged off the tower by Neil, the stone and gravity, before throwing the Fire Bead.

He hit the Hive with ease. It seemed to be screaming in agony as its bodies started catching fire. Their last try to get to Kevin didn’t work because of Andrew waving with one of their backpacks at them – still on top of Kevin – so with that they dropped dead into the tower, one by one.

When they were all gone, Andrew let go of the backpack and cut Kevin loose, meaning he could stand up as well.

“I got it!” Kevin said, showing the Lapis Lazuli and Neil’s knife. “And I found Neil’s knife as well! Where is Neil by the way?”

“Hopefully down there in one piece, otherwise I’ll have to kill his stupid ass.” Andrew picked up Matt and started climbing down – which was way scarier than up, but the determination to get to Neil kept him going.

Kevin followed suit, and when they got down, they saw a familiar redhead lying at the foot of the tower.

“Neil!” Kevin yelled, and when the boy didn’t react they ran over.

The stone was laying next to him, and Neil was looking at the sky with a bewildered face.

“Neil?” Andrew tried, and Matt squeaked. 

Neil got out of his daze and looked at the two of them. “That was awesome.”

Andrew and Kevin stared at Neil for some time. Then Kevin started laughing and Andrew just glared, muttering that Neil shouldn’t scare them like that.

He helped Neil get up his feet as well, giving him Matt back and then looking at Kevin, who held out Neil’s knife.

“You found my knife?” Neil asked, eyes watering a little. 

“Yeah. I had to leave the wooden bird behind to keep the structure from collapsing, but at least you now have your knife back.” Kevin smiled as Neil took it in his hands, cradling it like a newborn baby.

Neil looked up, eyes still watering and sunset at his back, making his hair light up even more. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Kevin pulled Neil in a hug and grabbed Andrew as well, happy that they had made it again.

Neil hugged back after some confusion – hugging? Since when did they do hugging? – and Andrew just melted into his brother’s side and grabbed Neil’s orange tunic to keep him close as well.

One thing they could all agree on was this: they had to get out of the Shifting Sands as soon as possible, because none of them had pleasant memories made here. They were all glad they still had each other, but the Shifting Sands were a pothole they flipped the bird at and wanted to get out of.

But for now they just hugged each other, happy to still be alive and well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, who caught the iny tiny Undertale reference? (If you did, tell me :) )
> 
> Another chapter, another happy ending, another book DONE! Book four can be closed and book five begins! (WE JUST HAVE THREE BOOKS AND A TON OF CHAPTERS LEFT!!)  
Anyways, even though it pains my heart to leave my favorite book behind, I do feel like I did it some justice (while taking liberties here and there of course).  
I really, really hope you liked this chapter (and especially the fluff at the end, my heart kind of melted while writing that)!  
See you next time!  
Lots Of Love <3


	20. Meeting Robin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHICH CHARACTER WILL BE INTRODUCED NEXT! (Anyone who guesses wrong has clearly not looked at the title of this chapter, and is therefore a dumdum)

They made it out of the Shifting Sands in one piece, Kevin reasoning it must be because of the Lapis Lazuli giving them luck. Andrew just rolled his eyes at that and continued walking, while Neil seemed to be considering Kevin's theory having at least a bit of truth.

When they reached the cliffs and were finally in the woods behind it, Neil fell in the grass and announced he would not be moving soon and that they’d better make camp here.

So they did, giving Andrew a chance to write a letter to Aaron and Nicky, to tell them they’d made it out alive and well and were on their way to their next destination. Meeting his biological family had made him think of the future beyond the quest, beyond getting rid of the Shadowlord and putting the rightful heir on the throne and fulfilling their father’s wish of completing the Belt. It gave him perspective, Andrew mused while looking at how Neil and Matt were relaxing in the grass while Kevin was yelling at Neil for not helping with the campsite. 

“How long until we reach Dread Mountain?” Neil asked when they sat around the fire Kevin had made. 

“A few days, maybe a week,” Andrew said.

“So enough time to clear our minds before we travel to the next destination with a terrible name that’s supposed to evoke fear.”

“Guess so.”

“I mean, seriously.” Neil sat up and started counting on his fingers. “Forests of Silence, Lake of Tears, City of Rats – though that wasn’t frightening until I actually went there and met Reeah and we had to deal with all that – Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain-”

“We get it,” Andrew interrupted. “Why don’t you file a complaint with the Shadowlord? Maybe he’ll listen to your request to change the names.”

“Okay. Will you help me write the letter then? Since I’m illiterate and all that, I don’t think I can actually write or read the thing.”

“I’m so proud of you for using your big forest junkie brain to say a such a difficult word as ‘illiterate’, that I’ll even write down every word you say correctly.”

“What else would you have done?”

“Probably file a complaint about a certain type of wildlife that’s been following me and my brother since the Forests of Silence.”

Neil huffed and gently shoved Andrew with his shoulder. “You wouldn’t. You got attached to me as well. We bonded in the Shifting Sands!”

“I could also use my knives.”

“I can counter those with my own, wanna go?”

Kevin was still a little put off by the playful banter. He wondered when they were going to bicker again, like they used to, but then he started wondering whether or not he missed that.

A few days later they still hadn’t left the forests, but the scenery had changed. Neil had gotten a little jumpy, and for some reason he blamed the trees for making him anxious.

“They’re just so… silent,” he told Kevin when he asked. “It’s weirding me out.”

“Do all trees have to talk to you?” Andrew asked, eyebrow raised.

“No, of course not! But usually they whisper among themselves, at the least. These do not, and it’s not what I’m used to.”

Kevin decided to shrug it off; the forest was creepy enough without Neil being bothered by how unresponsive the trees were.

Not too long after that, the trio came across a small spring. This was a welcome distraction, both because they had just run out of water and because this was a perfect place to set up camp. 

Andrew had started filling the pouches while Kevin and Neil both drank a bit before making preparations for the night.

That was when Kevin noticed the big rock sitting next to the spring. Curious, he walked over and read what was on it.

‘DREAMING SPRING. Drink, gentle stranger, and welcome. All of evil will beware’, it said, and it made Kevin gasp.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew asked, strolling over with the filled water-pouches.

“Something’s with this spring.” Kevin pointed to the stone. “Look.”

Andrew read it and raised an eyebrow. Neil joined them, and after having heard what was on the stone, he just shrugged.

“Well then, unless one of you has something to confess, I do not believe we’ll be harmed by this spring in any way. It says that us gentle strangers are welcome, and that all of evil will must beware, so we have nothing to be worried about.”

It settled Kevin a little, as they indeed had no ill intentions towards anyone except maybe the Shadowlord and his minions, but it still didn’t fit with him.

“Is the water magical?” Kevin asked.

“Yes,” Neil said. 

Andrew and Kevin both stared at him.

“Then why didn’t you say something?” Andrew then asked. 

“Because it didn’t feel… wrong. I don’t know how else to describe it, but I trusted it. If I hadn’t, the first thing I would have done was warn you two about it.” Neil looked at them pointedly. “As you might know.”

Andrew remembered Lola, and how Neil felt some magical presence nearing and shivering because of it. Even though Neil didn’t say explicitly that the magic he felt was evil – or ‘wrong’, as he phrased it earlier – it was immediately clear to Andrew that it had meant no good. And it didn’t.

Luckily Lola was dead now, even though that was a close thing, but this didn’t out rule other things or persons using magic for their evil schemes; Lola’s children, for instance, were still alive. They had to be careful, and really needed Neil to help them with his magical compass-feeling-whatever it was.

Kevin just sighed and laid down underneath his blankets. He trusted Neil, and yet something in his gut told him something was wrong. Something didn’t sit right.

Andrew laid down as well, eyeing his brother. Kevin gave him a tight smile and closed his eyes.

He was glad Andrew was here with him. If he had to do this with total strangers, or even just Neil alone, he would probably have felt more anxious. Andrew helped him by giving him something familiar, something from home to help with that. 

Their parents would be proud of them as well, as they’d already secured four of the seven gems they had to collect in order to restore the Belt. And on their way, they found a new friend – or new friends, if you count Matt and Dan as well – and quest-partner, they met a lot of amazing people – like the Ralads and Jeremy, who had been brave enough to take them to the Lake of Tears and even give his own life in order to help them gain the Ruby – and Andrew found his biological family, living in Rithmere. Wymack and Abby would be happy and proud of their adventures so far.

And with that, Kevin fell asleep, smiling and wondering how his parents were doing.

Kevin stood in front of their home, but it didn’t look as he had remembered. 

The front door was open and swinging slightly in a wind Kevin didn’t feel, with smashed wood in its doorstep. Kevin walked inside, brows furrowed. 

Inside their home, the wreckage was worse. It looked like everything had been smashed to pieces, and then those pieces had been smashed to pieces as well. Wood, metal, glass and cloth was laying everywhere, as if a small tornado had been rushing through. 

“Mom?” Kevin called out. “Dad?”

No-one answered. For a minute, Kevin got scared, thinking he was touching the Opal and was having a vision, but then he remembered he always made sure to keep his hands far away from the gem whenever he went to sleep. 

So maybe this was a nightmare then. Kevin called out to his parents again, without hearing a response. 

With heavy shoulders, Kevin walked outside again, but before he could step out of the front door, a severed head looked him in the eyes.

It was Kevin’s old plushy of a Kin, an extinct creature he had been fond of as a child. Andrew had a cat plushy, and always mocked him for having a Kin doll, as ‘cats were way cooler Kevin’. Its body was laying underneath the table, next to what was left of Andrew’s plushy. 

It pained Kevin’s heart to see their plushies like this, but when he leaned down to grab his, he found out he couldn’t actually touch anything in his dream. 

Kevin left the house and called out to his parents again. No-one answered. 

He turned around and looked at his house, and that’s when he noticed the black markings on the door. It was the Shadowlord’s brand, a black hand with an eye in it, sitting in the middle of a circle. Kevin’s heart stopped, big eyes trained on the mark that had meant so many death in Del, like for Roland and his bar, where Andrew used to go whenever he felt like it. 

He took a few steps back, but tripped over his own two feet and hit the ground, where his vision blacked out.

Kevin woke up gasping and panting. The nightmare was still very present in his mind, and it made him feel nauseous to no end. 

He left the camp quickly but quietly to go lose his stomach’s content in peace at the Dreaming Spring. 

Neither Andrew nor Neil stirred, but Neil was frowning in his sleep. Kevin then remembered how one of them was supposed to stand watch, but none of them had been awake for a long time, it seemed. They were lucky no Grey Guards were lurking around, or else they’d be waking up in the Shadowarena for sure. When the others were up and walking, Kevin will have a stern talk with them about the dangers of leaving no-one to guard the camp. He himself was to blame as well of course, but they had to address it. 

When Kevin arrived at the Dreaming Spring, which wasn’t too far from their camp, but also not too close, he saw that he wasn’t the only one up and awake.

A four-legged creature with wings, a chestnut brown skin and black markings around its head was sitting near the spring, staring into the water. 

Kevin frowned. He recognized the creature: it was a kin. Which was impossible, since kin had been extinct from around the time he had been born. So what was one doing here of all places?

Curious, Kevin slowly walked over, careful not to disturb the kin. When he got close, it had been eyeing him for a while with big, brown eyes and a tilted head. 

Kevin stretched out his hand, waiting for the kin to lean forward and let him caress her. The kin sniffed his hand and pulled away, nose scrunched.

“Your hand smells weird, what have you been washing it with?” The kin asked with a soft, female voice. 

Kevin blinked a few times. “Y-you talk?”

“Don’t you?” The kin raised an eyebrow. “My name is Robin, yours?”

“Uh.” Kevin was still processing the fact that this kin was speaking with him. “Kevin.”

“Nice to meet you! What are you doing here Kevin?”

Kevin had totally forgotten about the dream, but remembering it made his throat close up and his eyes water. “C-ahem. Couldn’t sleep.”

“Me neither. The others always drink the spring’s water and dream of home, but I never get any dreams about anything.” Robin glared at the water. “It’s not fair, so I made myself drink less and just wandered around until they wake up again.”

“Others?” There were more kin?

Robin pointed to some rocks near the water. “Yeah, elder Crenn, mom and the others. They all get to dream of home, while I’m just stuck having no dreams or forcing myself to dream of this place, since it’s the only place I’ve seen.”

Kevin smiled. “You live at Dread Mountain, don’t you?”

“We used to.” Robin kicked a small rock in the water. “We haven’t been living there for thirteen years, which is exactly how old I am. So I can’t dream of it, of the Boolong trees and the fresh water rolling down the rocks. Mom and the others always talk about those, trying to help me imagine it, but I can’t.”

She must be really upset about that, as her shoulders had tensed and her eyes were starting to water while holding a fierce fire that really brought home the anger Robin was experiencing.

Kevin didn’t know how to react to that, but lucky for him, Robin straightened her shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

“You know what? Since we’re both up and bored, let’s play a game!”

This wasn’t what Kevin had expected to hear. “A… game?”

“Yeah! I sometimes play with mom and the others, but it’s really boring when I’m on my own. Do you know hide and find?”

Kevin knew hide and find indeed; he and Andrew sometimes played that when they were little. So he nodded.

“Great! I’ll sing first, and you hide first. I promise to play fair and square.” Robin smiled, which looked a little weird on her long and pointy snout. 

Kevin smiled back, prompting Robin to turn around, put her head between her front paws and start singing the song.

“Hide and find, hide and find-”

Kevin ran off and looked around in the forest. There were many places he could hide himself, but to be a little fair to Robin, he didn’t go looking for the best option.

“You can hide but I will find you-”

Since he was still within hearing distance, his hiding spot was guaranteed to be a viable one. Kevin crouched down and resisted the instinct to cover his head with his cloak, as that would trigger its magic and cause him to disappear from view. It would guarantee a win, but that wouldn’t be fair to Robin.

“My sharp eyes will seek you out! Hide and find, hide and find.”

Kevin looked at the small kin singing the song. It was still a little weird to him that they could talk, but he was overjoyed that he had been able to find one in the first place. 

“You can hide but I will find you, flap your wings and you’ll be found! Hide and find-”

Andrew and he always sung ‘move an inch and you’ll be found’, instead of ‘flap your wings and you’ll be found’, which almost made Kevin jump up and correct Robin. 

“Hide and find. You can hide but I will find you-”

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked, making Kevin jump up.

He and Neil were looking at Kevin quizzically, Neil rubbing the sleep from his eyes with a small frown.

“My sharp eyes will seek you out! Hide and find, hide and find-”

“I’m playing hide and find with Robin,” Kevin said, pointing towards the kin not too far from them. “I woke up from a nightmare and wanted to clear my mind, but then I met Robin and she wanted to play with me, so…”

“I thought kin were extinct,” Andrew said, while Robin sang “You can hide but I will find you!”

Neil said nothing, but his eyes widened a bit.

Before Kevin could ask however, he heard what was happening.

“Flap your wings and you’ll be- AAAH!” Robin yelled.

“Gotcha!” a Grey Guard said, making Kevin turn around to look.

There were two Grey Guards standing near the spring, one struggling to keep the sack around Robin and one looking at the other struggle with a smirk on his mouth.

Kevin cursed. “We have to help her!”

“Calm down Kevin, we need to make sure they’re on their own,” Andrew told him, while the Guards tied up the sack and drank a bit from the spring.

“We were lucky to have at least found this spring. The two semi-finalists have to come by sooner or later.” 

The other Guard huffed. “Let’s hope so, or else the Shadowlord will have our heads.”

Andrew immediately knew they were talking about Seth and Thea – or the brute and the girl Kevin had a crush on – as he had heard Aaron and Nicky talk about their rescue in his dream. Apparently that had been successful. 

Neil already knew of this as well, but he had been a little surprised to find out that his dream – in which he saw Doom help Thea and Seth escape – had actually been true. This did mean that he knew the Guards were alone. And he had some anger and frustration to let out.

Before either Andrew or Kevin could do anything, Neil had jumped out of the bushes and landed in front of the Guards, knife ready and face grim.

“Hey, aren’t you the-” the Grey Guard couldn’t even finish his sentence before Neil charged in and attacked.

The Grey Guard dodged, drew his sword and attacked along with his companion, meaning Neil now had to duck and dodge their attacks.

Andrew sighed, grabbed his knifes and joined in the fight, while Kevin ran to Robin in her abandoned sack.

He cut the rope loose and helped Robin get out. 

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Robin nodded. “Yeah, but you didn’t need to attack the Guards. They drank from the water.”

Before Kevin could ask what she meant, he heard Andrew shout Neil’s name, and then surprised gasps and screaming.

Neil was laying on the ground, next to the fallen sword of one of the Grey Guards, who were shouting in agony and fear.

The trio all looked on in horror how the Grey Guards started shaking, collapsed to the floor and had their feet turned into roots. The roots grew, and bast made its way up the still screaming Grey Guards’ chests. 

One tried to pull it off, while the other tried to grasp Neil, who was close by. Neil shuffled away and got up, still looking in horror, while the Grey Guards’ faces started turning into a thick, gray-ish bast. 

When the transformation was complete, the two Grey Guards had turned into two trees, not unlike the others in the forest. It made Kevin nauseous thinking how all of those trees probably used to be people as well. And how they had drunk the spring’s water as well.

Robin hummed. “I have to admit that they turned sooner than some of the others. It probably depends on how evil a person is.” A pause. “Or how much they drank.”

“We-we drank that as well,” Kevin said.

“I know, but don’t worry. The evil ones always turn at least within an hour, so you’re safe.” Robin looked at the ground. “I’m sorry for ruining our game of hide and find.”

Neil and Andrew joined them, and Neil smiled.

“Hey, we’re all glad you’re safe, which definitely makes up for the ruined game. I’m Neil, by the way, Kevin’s friend.” Neil offered Robin his hand.

Robin took it, sitting on her hind legs and grabbing Neil’s hand with both of her paws.

“And that’s Andrew, Kevin’s brother,” Neil said, pointing behind him with his other hand. “Nice to meet you!”

“My name is Robin. Nice to meet you too! Do you want to play hide and find with us?”

Andrew looked at the rocks near the spring, which were now moving. “We’d love to, but I think the Grey Guards have woken up some others.”

Robin and the other two looked as well, Kevin and Neil surprised to see that the rocks were actually other kin, perfectly camouflaged with their skintones and shape.

“Oh, those are mom, elder Crenn and the others! Let me introduce you!” Robin grabbed Neil’s hand and pulled him towards the others.

After some tears from what Kevin assumed was Robin’s mother, the oldest kin looked at them.

He had wrinkles near his eyes and gray strands near his mouth that looked a little like a mustache. His front paws were clasped together when he gave a small bow with his head.

“I owe you three our gratitude for saving Robin from those Grey Guards. She is our last young, and we wouldn’t have known what to do without her.”

Kevin smiled. “No problem sir, but as Robin had said earlier, the Grey Guards had drunk the spring’s water, so they wouldn’t have gone far anyways.”

The kin shook his head. “While that’s true, it doesn’t take away that she could have been far gone if you three hadn’t stepped in and stopped them from advancing.”

“But elder Crenn! They were planning to stay! They were looking for people!” Robin protested, but her mother shushed her and shook her head.

“Robin is right,” Andrew said, but before he could continue and stir some fight, Kevin interrupted.

“But we accept your gratitude. We’re mere travelers, traveling towards Dread Mountain, so some directions would be nice.”

Andrew huffed. They didn’t need any directions, as Andrew had memorized the maps of Deltora from when their father had shown them as kids, but he said nothing.

“Ah, Dread Mountain. I wouldn’t go there if I were you; the gnomes are not keen on strangers.” Elder Crenn’s eyes watered a little.

“We’re still going to, but if I may, what makes you say that?” Kevin smiled friendly.

“For years we had been able to live in relative peace. Gnomes hunted our kind of course, but their arrows didn’t do anything other than hinder us a little. But then, one day thirteen years ago, they attained some kind of poison that was extremely deadly. And suddenly our kind started dropping like flies, as the balance we had was disturbed by these poisoned arrows. So, with great pain in our heart, we fled the mountain, swearing never to return. Our kind would have been doomed if we stayed there, so it was the better decision. Even if it meant that Robin would be our last young, seeing as we cannot thrive without eating Boolong cones.”

“I’m sorry to hear,” Kevin said softly.

Neil frowned a little, but before he could say something Andrew asked: “But why come here? To this spring?”

“This used to be our spot in the winter, to rest and relax and not be bothered much by the cold that Dread Mountain has. The spring also allows us to visit our home whenever we dream.”

Robin looked at the ground after Crenn said that, tears filling her eyes. 

“Wait, this spring allows you to dream of Dread Mountain?” Neil asked, frowning. 

“Yes. This spring has the magical ability that whatever or whoever you think of last when you go to sleep, you will visit that place in spirit while you sleep. Only when you’re not evil though, but you know the effect it has on you if you are.”

Andrew hummed. “Then Aaron and Nicky are fine and have joined the Resistance. What did you two dream about?”

Kevin had turned white, while Neil huffed.

“I dreamed of Doom and how he helped Thea and Seth escape. But why in hell would I ever think of Doom before going to sleep? What’s wrong with me?”

Andrew wanted to laugh, but his attention was on his brother’s pale face. “Kevin?”

Kevin gasped and returned to reality. “We need to go.”

He turned around and stormed off.

“Kevin!” Andrew yelled, running after him, with a confused Neil on his heels.

“Kevin! Would you- KEVIN!” 

Kevin ignored his brother, determined to get home. Neil sprinted and tackled him however, making him fall face down into the ground at a good distance from the spring and the kin.

“Kevin!” Andrew helped his trembling brother sit up, and then noticed the tears in his eyes.

Neil bit his lip, unsure of what to do. He couldn’t remember either of the two brothers ever crying with him near, and to be honest he didn’t have anyone ever cry in front of him, not even his mother or uncle. 

“What happened?” Andrew asked, softer than Neil had ever heard him before.

Kevin just hiccuped, shaking his head.

“I know you dreamed of home, and you mentioned having a nightmare,” Andrew pressed. “So what happened?”

“We need to go home Andrew,” Kevin said instead, voice breaking and tears streaming down his face. 

Andrew said nothing. He just stared at his brother, who then collapsed and told him all about the house, how everything was torn up and broken, how their parents weren’t there and how there was a Shadowlord’s brand on the door. 

“We-we have to save them!” Kevin cried out. “We have to! Andrew…”

Andrew was just staring at Kevin’s face, trying to keep his face as blank as possible. But Kevin saw how his jaw was clenched and his hazel eyes were shining with held-back tears, so he knew that it hit Andrew hard as well.

“We can’t,” Andrew then said, voice wavering. 

“Andrew-”

“We can’t!” Andrew’s voice was louder now. “We can’t Kevin! We can’t go back and save them! We have a mission to complete!”

“The quest can be halted! It had been for at least seven years, so what do a few more months matter?!”

To both Neil and Kevin’s surprise, Andrew hit Kevin. Hard. On the cheek.

“Andrew,” Neil said softly, but Andrew grabbed Kevin’s face by the cheeks and continued yelling at him.

“You’re not thinking clearly! We cannot quit the quest just because our parents might be in danger! They knew the risks and they know that what we do is way more important! We’re here to save Deltora Kevin! To defeat the Shadowlord and find the true heir to the throne! We took on this quest because dad could not and he trusted us to bring it to completion! Do you really want to throw it all away just because they might be dead?!” 

The tears were flowing over Andrew’s face now as well, but Kevin didn’t know if they were tears of anger or tears of sadness. 

Neil just stood by, hugging Matt, still figuring out what to do. 

“We have to continue,” Andrew said, softer this time. “We have to. For dad, for mom, for everyone who is suffering because of the Shadowlord.”

Kevin’s eyes started watering again. He knew they had to, but that didn’t make it easier on him.

“We cannot take on the Shadowlord yet; we need the Belt and the heir for that. So all we can do is hope they’ll be alright while we complete our quest. That’s the best and only way we can help them. Complete the quest, their dream, and free Deltora. Then they’ll be free as well.” Andrew tried to smile, but his lips were shaking too much.

Dan cawed softly, telling Neil that she felt sorry for the two, as they had now possibly lost their parents as well. 

Neil knew how hard that could be, but he also knew that with the right people – or companions, in his case – the pain would eventually fade to a dull ache on the heart.

“I think we can easily do it,” he said, making Andrew and Kevin look up. “We have three more gems to find, and looking at all we’ve been through already, I know we can do it. Then all we have to do is find the heir to the throne, as they’re the only one capable of using the Belt to its full potential, and before you know it Deltora will be free and your parents will be holding you so close you won’t be able to breathe.” Neil smiled, and Matt yelped in agreement, while Dan landed on his shoulder and cawed, complimenting him for comforting his friends like this.

Kevin was the first to smile. His heart still hurt and his instincts told him to run back to Del, storm the castle and find his parents, but he knew Andrew and Neil were right. They had to finish the quest, a quest his father set up and wanted to do, but couldn’t due to an injury. A quest he entrusted to him and Andrew, knowing the risks and the trials they had to go through, but also knowing the risk he and Abby took. 

He turned his gaze to Andrew again, who was looking at Neil in awe. “Okay.”

Andrew snapped out of his stupor and looked at Kevin. 

Kevin smiled. “We’ll continue our quest. For father.”

Andrew nodded. “For father.”

There were still tears in Andrew’s eyes however, trying to get out, so Kevin grabbed his brother and gave him a big hug, while a new set of tears started to swell up and fall out.

Andrew buried his face in Kevin’s shoulder, hugging him back, clenching Kevin’s shirt. The world wasn’t fair, and they had to deal with that, but that didn’t mean that he should like it.

Neil looked at them, hugging Matt again. Dan cawed softly, saying Neil should join them. Matt told Neil that he’d feel better if he did, and that it was a little weird for him to just stand there.

So slowly, Neil knelt down and put a hand on both Kevin and Andrew’s shoulders, before leaning down and mushing his face against Kevin’s, who snorted a little and grabbed Neil, pulling him in their hug.

With a little yelp Neil complied, smiling softly and patting Andrew’s shoulder while laying against Kevin’s chest with him.

Andrew grabbed Neil’s hip and squeezed, but didn’t look up.

Matt got up Neil’s head and started nuzzling Kevin’s face while Dan curled up in Neil’s lap and closed her eyes. 

They stayed like this for some time, until both Andrew and Kevin were out of tears, and then stayed some more, just enjoying the embrace and the comfort it brought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending had been the hardest part to write up 'till now, because it was making me really sad to see my boys being hurt like that. But I do want to mention I did improve on how the anime handled it (SPOILER ALERT: they had Lief move on within minutes and he didn't even cry once; it made me very angry).  
The fun parts to write were Kevin's dream (yes, I know it brought him pain, but I liked the part where he saw a severed head, making all of you think he'd see a human being or something, only to reveal it was his plushies') and the Hiccup&Toothless moment Kevin wanted to perform with Robin, only to have her react differently than Kevin's expectations. 
> 
> Anyways, we have a new character and some explanations are in order, as I had no plans to have Prin (the kin Lief and co met) be Robin Cross until I wrote chapter 19. That's when I realized that Robin could be integrated into the story as Prin. Their backstories and character are nowhere near similar, but both Prin and Robin have protective parents and I have altered every character's backstory at least a little to make them fit (Andrew's being the only one I can think of right now that has changed the most), so that eventually made me say 'FUCK IT! ROBIN'S GONNA BE IN HERE NOW', and that's what I did. As we have no more information from our Lord and Savior Nora Sakavic about Robin Cross than what's on her Tumblr ([ Robin's post on said Tumblr ](https://korakos.tumblr.com/post/126963695002/i-definitely-recommend-just-skipping-this-post)) I do not feel like I know what Robin is really like other than traumatized (consider this a trigger warning; if you have experience with abusive kidnappers or just abusive people in general, I wouldn't read it if it triggers unhappy memories for you), but I'll try to make it work. 
> 
> So yeah, I hope you liked this chapter! I hope I get to update more regularly, but last week me and my brother changed rooms and we had to move our furniture, paint the walls and I was tired and we're still _ not done_, but I'll try to make it work.
> 
> Stay safe and Lots Of Love <3  
Until next time!
> 
> PS: here's the link to the [ kin wiki ](https://deltoraquest.fandom.com/wiki/Kin) if you want to see what they're like for yourself. To be honest I kind of prefer the book-version over the anime-version, but they do make the kin look really adorable there, sooooooo I mixed them up a little again in my descriptions


	21. Kin to the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this title's pun. (I did not come up with this; each and every chapter has been in line with the episode of the anime it's based on, so thank them for this awesome joke) (Just a disclaimer y'all) (I wish I were this smart with puns)

For what felt like ages later, when both Andrew and Kevin had nothing more than red and puffy eyes and they all had sore limbs, they all got up and went back to the kin.

Robin looked worried when she saw Kevin and Andrew’s faces, but Neil smiled at her and silently whispered that they’ll be fine. 

“I’m sorry for storming off like that,” Kevin said, rubbing his cheek. “I…” His voice trailed off, as the nightmare flashed in his mind again.

“It’s alright,” Crenn said, sitting on his butt like a dog would. “The Dreaming Spring can be a harsh experience, especially if you dream of something you didn’t want to see happen to a place you love or a loved one.”

Andrew said nothing, too exhausted from crying to even bother figuring out what Crenn had dreamed about that had shook him to the core like this. 

Kevin just nodded, a little defeated. Neil handed him Matt, who immediately started nuzzling Kevin’s face again, making Kevin smile.

“Let’s discourse about something else,” Crenn said, looking up from the ground. “We had discussed this while you were gone, but we’d like to thank you for saving our only young.” He looked at Robin, who avoided his gaze.

Neil clearly remembered Robin saying she knew she’d be save, as the Grey Guards had drunk from the spring, so their ‘saving’ hadn’t been necessary per say, but Kevin smiled and shook his head.

“That’s kind of you, but-”

“How about a ride to Dread Mountain,” Andrew interjected. 

Crenn looked horrified.

“We’re traveling there, and if we could fly, it’d cut down the time we’d spend going up and down every hill we come across with ease.” Andrew tried to sound open-minded about this, but he knew that if they couldn’t cut down the time they needed to go over the mountains, their parents would have to suffer much longer. 

“I’m sorry,” Crenn said. “But that’s too dangerous.”

“So?” Neil said, before Andrew could react. “Don’t you miss your home? Do you not want more baby kin so Robin will not eventually be the only one left for real? Isn’t that worth the risk of flying us three to the mountain?”

“Think of the Boolong cones we could bring back!” a female kin said. “It’s been ages since I’ve had one.”

“And it’d be great to see the mountain for real once, instead of in our dreams,” another added.

“And I’ll get to see it for myself as well!” Robin said, brown eyes shining. 

“No!” her mother and Crenn yelled.

“We will not go back, and that’s that!” Crenn said to the two kin. “It’s too dangerous!”

“It’s alright,” Andrew said, before Neil could argue. “It was just a suggestion. If you cannot bring us to the mountain, help us navigate it by describing things to us, that’d be great as well.”

Neil glared at him, but kept his mouth shut and just stared at the spring not too far from them.

“That’s an acceptable alternative,” Crenn said. “Just ask us the questions and we’ll answer them the best to our abilities.”

Kevin and Andrew started firing questions, while Neil went over to the spring to calm down.

When he put his hands in the water, he swore they were glowing a little before a small sizzling sound caught his attention. Before he could investigate however, Robin sat next to him.

“I think we should go back as well,” she said, eyes on the water.

Neil just shrugged. 

“I mean it! Elder Crenn is just a coward for not even trying!”

“He probably has his reasons,” Neil said, drying his hands on his orange tunic. “And we should respect that, even if we think it’s wrong.”

Robin looked at him, wide-eyed. Neil just stared in the water.

This day was tough, with Kevin and Andrew now knowing their parents are in the Shadowlord’s hands and them crying and Neil not knowing what to do and being reminded of the day he lost his mother and uncle… It frustrated him to no end that all they could do was complete the quest, and that they were a little helpless in how much time that will take.

Yes, they will complete it; Neil just knew they could do it, whatever it took. But he had no idea how long it would take and how much more stakes would arise.

Maybe Rithmere would be overrun and turned into some hellish place, causing Nicky and Aaron and their partners to be endangered and Andrew having another family be taken from him. Or will D’Or turn into the Lake of Tears again, with Nanion back to being Soldeen and the Ralads losing their voices once again. Or will Noradzeer be turned to dust due to Marissa helping them and the Ra-Kacharz being idiots. Or maybe Lola’s remaining children will capture them and eat them for real.

There were many things Neil could think of that would make their quest more pivotal, but Robin had bumped her nose against his shoulder, causing him to startle and look her way.

“What were you thinking of?”

Neil sighed. “A lot. But I’m fine.” He smiled, but Robin’s glare told him she didn’t buy it.

“I had never seen either Andrew or Kevin cry,” he then said, trying to distract both himself and her.

“Never?”

“Never.”

“And have you cried in front of them?”

Neil thought for some time. “Once, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“I don’t really know how to describe it. I was crying, yes, but I didn’t know they were still… there.” He thought back to touching the Topaz and seeing his mother. He didn’t realize Andrew and Kevin were still there, watching him, or he would have been a little more… careful.

Which was weird to think about, because now, things were different. Neil felt much closer to the two brothers, but he never felt the need to cry or whatever. He had been vulnerable before – Neil thought of the night in Mother Kathy’s inn, when he told Andrew and Kevin about the day his mother died and his uncle was taken – but he never really cried. 

“Sounds weird,” Robin said. “They’re your friends right? Don’t friends always comfort each other and cry on each other shoulders?”

Neil snorted. “They’re the first human friends I have, so who am I to know?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I grew up in a forest, isolated from the world. Until I met them, the only friends I had were Matt and Dan.” Neil pointed to Matt, who was still perched on Kevin’s shoulder, and Dan, who was dozing off in a tree nearby.

“Really? So we’re alike!” Robin grinned. “I grew up isolated as well, and now you’re my first friends.”

Neil snorted again, longer this time. “I guess so.” He leaned back and smiled. “Thanks for comforting me then Robin.”

“I did?”

Neil laughed, which caused the others to turn around and observe them. Robin looked delighted, and shrieked when Neil splashed her with some water.

“That’s for the teasing.”

“I did not!” Robin splashed Neil back, with way more force, making Neil drenched in the face and shoulders. 

While they started a water fight, the others – minus Andrew – just shook their heads and continued discussing the mountain. Andrew stared for some time more, until Kevin tapped on his shoulder to bring him back tot he conversation.

That night, Kevin told Andrew and Neil to decide who took the first watch while he went to sleep.

“And no drinking from the spring before taking watch,” he warned them. “Elder Crenn made it really clear that you’ll fall asleep after drinking it no matter what.”

Neil rolled his eyes while Andrew observed Kevin, who had drunk some of the water before coming back to their camp.

“I’ll take first watch,” he said.

Neil shrugged and laid down, burying himself in his blanket.

Kevin thanked Andrew and laid down as well, closing his eyes and focusing his mind on his father, wherever he may be.

Kevin opened his eyes in a cell, dimly lit by the one torch in the hallway. And in the corner, chained up by his neck, was Wymack.

His father looked awful, bruises and scratches littering his face and arms, while one of his eyes seemed to be permanently closed.

“Dad!” Kevin shouted, trying to hug his father, but his father didn’t react and Kevin’s hands went straight through the man.

A little confused, Kevin remembered elder Crenn saying you visit in spirit, which could explain him being intangible. And that no-one could hear him.

_Would mom be near?_\- Kevin wondered.

He decided to look, walking towards the door, but then he heard the door opening with a click.

Forgetting he was a ghost, Kevin hid behind the opening door, but when it went straight through him, he sighed. Being a spirit was weird.

“No…” Wymack muttered, eyes wide. “How?”

Kevin only saw the back of the man his father was talking to, whose hair looked dark, but his father was shocked, face filled with horror at seeing this man.

“The Shadowlord is a kind man,” the man said, voice like velvet and tone amused. “He resurrected me, after my unfortunate death. To be fair, I do not remember a thing from my previous life, but I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Kevin frowned, going around to see the man up front, but just when Kevin did, the man turned around.

“You know which question I will ask you Wymack: it’s been the same one the Carn Squad members have been asking you since the day they raided your home.” The man turned again, just when Kevin was going to see his front, as if he was doing this either on purpose or as if he was searching for something.

“Then you’ll know my answer, because especially now it hasn’t changed one bit,” Kevin’s father said through clenched teeth.

“Come now, your sons didn’t just run off.”

“They did, and broke their mother's heart while doing so. I have no idea where they are.”

“And the heir?”

Wymack huffed. “I haven’t spoken to Thannah since he made me leave the palace.”

The man waved with his hand, causing a spark to land near Kevin. It felt hot, but didn’t look like fire. Kevin still decided it’d be for the best to avoid it, as it looked dangerous.

“Hm,” the man hummed. “Strange.”

Wymack frowned. “What is?”

“I feel a presence near, but my fire hasn’t caught it.” The man finally turned around to reveal a smooth face with high cheekbones and blue eyes that brought Kevin shivers. “So either it has some protection, or my feelings are betraying me.”

“Like you betrayed Deltora.”

The man grinned. “Dear Wymack, what did I say about that past?” He grabbed Wymack by the chain and hauled him up. “It. Doesn’t. Matter.”

He let go, letting Wymack hit the ground with a groan. 

“So whether I was a traitor or not, the past is in the past, and in the present, all I care about is knowing where your sons are and where the heir could be.” The man walked out and stopped in the doorstep. “But maybe if you’re not willing to talk, your wife will be.”

“No! Leave Abby out of this!” 

“Then give me some answers David!” the man bellowed. 

Wymack said nothing, looking desperate. The man sighed.

“It can’t be helped then I guess.” And with that, he left the cell.

Wymack slumped against the wall and wiped the tears out of his eyes. Kevin wished he could comfort him, but he was a ghost, and his father didn’t even know he was there.

The man knew, somehow, but luckily, Kevin had not been discovered or hurt by what was apparently a strange form of fire. 

His father remained silent for a long while, then he sighed. 

“If you’re really here, however that’s possible, listen to me,” he whispered – Kevin had to get really close to hear it clearly. “I’m proud of you, of both of you. You have gotten four gems already, which is more than I could have ever hoped for. You found a friend to help you with the cause, as the Carn Squad always talked about a tall swordsman, a blond dwarf and a wild redhead with a bird and a mouse who are disrupting the grip the Shadowlord has over the land.”

Kevin’s eyes watered, but he snorted at how Andrew and Neil were being described. He really, really wished he could hug Wymack now, but his father just continued speaking.

“Keep it up son, if you really are my son that is. Keep on going and know that we are fighting our battles here as well. I love you.”

“I love you too dad,” Kevin whispered back, and for a moment, it seemed like Wymack might have heard him.

But then the world around him started fading, signaling that Kevin was waking up.

When Kevin opened his eyes, Andrew was looking at him intently. “We have to go now.”

“Wha’s wrong?” Kevin asked, yawning and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Neil was already up and silently packing their things, while three kin were standing near, smiling.

“We have offered to take you to our mountain,” one with dark-blue patches around her head and back. “I’m Ailsa, the one with the red patches is Bruna and the one with the purple-ish ones is Merin.”

“Nice to meet you?” Kevin was still a little confused, so he looked to Andrew for answers.

“They snuck away from the others and offered us a lift. They’re tired of Crenn’s careful attitude and want to go back themselves.”

“Are you sure?” Kevin asked the three kin.

“We are,” Merin said. 

“Crenn can’t stop us if we really want to,” Bruna added. “Your friend was right: Robin will not have a fun future to look towards to if we don’t take the risk, and to be honest, it’d be great to see the mountain again.” Kevin now realized this was the kin that wanted to see Dread Mountain for real instead of in her dreams from earlier.

Not too long after they stood at the edge of a cliff, at the end of the forest surrounding the Dreaming Spring.

“So,” Andrew started, looking Merin up and down. “Where do we go? Up your back or-”

“If you have a death-wish, go sit on my back.” Merin glared at Andrew, who backed off. “I’ll show you where you go.”

She stood on her hind legs and guided Andrew to her front pouch. Kevin and Neil lost it when they saw Andrew sitting in her pouch, looking like a confused baby.

“Aw look at him!” Ailsa said, clasping her front paws together. 

Andrew’s cheeks burned, but by the time Kevin and Neil were also sitting in the pouches he got what was so funny about it and laughed just as hard.

Kevin blushed, but Neil just giggled and looked at Bruna, whose pouch he was sitting in.

“It feels really safe in here,” he told her.

Bruna smiled. “Good to hear. Baby kin usually go in there, even when they’re bigger than your tall friend, and they cannot fall out of course.”

“Really?” 

Bruna nodded, a proud smile adorning her face. 

“Let’s go,” Ailsa said. “Before Crenn-”

“Before Crenn what?” asked none other than Crenn, standing on his hind legs and crossing his front paws. Behind him were the other kin, including a distraught Robin.

Andrew and co climbed out and the three kin went over to confront their elder.

“Were you going to leave without telling me?” Robin asked, voice wavering. 

Neil smiled sadly. “Yes. I’m very sorry, but it kind of overcame us and we had to move quickly.” He looked at the arguing kin. “We were actually trying to avoid that.”

“But I wanted to come too! I wanted to go to Dread Mountain with you! I actually slept this entire night to make sure I had enough energy to go along!” Robin’s eyes filled with tears.

“That’s really smart of you,” Neil complimented her. 

“No it’s not,” Kevin said. “It’s dangerous Robin, coming with us. Even a good night’s rest wouldn’t prepare you enough.”

“I’m a big girl!” Robin yelled. “I can handle it! Why doesn’t anyone see that?!”

And with that, she stormed off, leaving the others behind. Kevin felt sorry for her, but also knew it was for the best. 

“Look at that, you made little one upset!” Crenn berated them. “We were fine before, but now-”

“We didn’t do anything wrong!” Neil yelled back. “You’re the one still calling her 'little one'! She’s not a baby anymore! Yes, she might not realize the danger our mission to go to Dread Mountain is holding, but that’s because she hasn’t ever heard anything but your nostalgic stories! And because she hasn’t every had the chance to explore the world we live in!”

Crenn wanted to respond, but Neil didn’t let him.

“And I did mean it when I said that you’re not helping her by just sitting and waiting for death to come by and take everyone she loves. She will end up alone one day, if you don’t take some risks and go take back your mountain!”

“It’s just the three of us,” Bruna decided to interrupt Neil’s rant. “If we don’t make it, that’s fine. We kin are a small group now, but even we can make a small sacrifice for the greater good of our species.”

“We want to do this,” Ailsa said. “We volunteered and know the risks it brings.”

“Just let us do this elder Crenn.” Merin smiled and looked at Robin, who was being comforted by her mother. “For all of us kin, but especially for the li- Robin.”

Elder Crenn stared at them. Then he sighed.

“Fine. But be careful. The gnomes have a visitor who doesn’t belong on our mountain, and he may be more dangerous than we can all imagine.”

Kevin, Andrew and Neil eyed each other. Was Crenn speaking of the next Guardian?

They couldn’t discuss this openly, not without telling them of their mission and causing the kin to either become dangerous – in case they tell the Shadowlord – or endangered – in case the Shadowlord finds out they might have information and decides to force it out of them. A silent compromise to talk about this as soon as they were alone again was made, before the trio turned their attention to the kin, who were saying goodbye to each other.

“Thank you,” Kevin said to Crenn. “For agreeing to bring us to the mountain.”

“I’m just hoping I will not regret this,” Crenn said. 

“You won’t,” Neil said, smiling. “We will make sure of it.”

They said goodbye to the kin as well, Neil hugging Robin close before he stepped into Bruna’s pouch again.

“Okay!” Ailsa said. “Hold on tight, we’re taking off!”

Kevin grabbed the front of the pouch, Andrew ducked inside of it and closed his eyes and Neil grinned and held on tight to Matt.

The three kin ran towards the end of the cliff, making Kevin panic with every step they ran closer. He shrieked when the kin jumped and took off, lowering just a little – which felt like falling – before climbing higher and flying westward, where Dread Mountain was located. 

Andrew had the worst time of his life, feeling like his intestines were about to become his outtestines during the drop and feeling nauseous while flying. 

He peeked out of the pouch and felt dizzy when he saw how high they were.

“Merin?” he asked, voice small.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can you- can- can you slow down- slow down a little?”

“Afraid of heights are we?” Merin smiled. “I’m sorry kid, but that’s the price you’ll have to pay for our service. Just hide in my pouch, that might help with not seeing how high we are. Or close your eyes.”

Andrew did the former, hiding back in the pouch and fidgeting with his hands.

Neil laughed at the small tuft of blond hair sticking out of Merin’s pouch, having the time of his life up in the air. He begged Bruna to make crazy flips and go faster, higher, whatever. Bruna indulged him from time to time, feeling giddy about going back to her original home, but still serious about their task. 

“When will we reach Dread Mountain?” Kevin asked Ailsa.

“We need to make one stop on the way, but I’m sure we can be there midday tomorrow.”

Kevin was impressed, as it took way less time if you compared it to the weeks it was going to take if they had to do it by foot. 

He pressed a hand to the Belt, which hummed slightly. A few days and they could have the fifth gem on there as well, sitting with the others.

Kevin wondered which one it would be. They only had to get the Emerald, the Amethyst and the Diamond before the Belt was restored. He wanted to ask Andrew which one he thought it would be, but two things stopped him from doing so.

One was the agreement not to bring the kin and the quest in danger by talking about the Belt or the gems with them near, and the other was the fact that Andrew was hiding in Merin’s pouch, with just a tuft of hair sticking out.

Merin was softly talking to him, probably trying to distract him from his fear. Kevin smiled and hoped it worked, before sitting back in his pouch like Ailsa instructed him.

A few hours later, near dawn, the kin decided to land.

“Where?” Kevin asked, looking at the thick forest underneath them.

“There’s a place we call Kinrest in this forest,” Ailsa said. “If I’m not mistaken it’s over there, but since we haven’t been here for a while it will have to be a crashing landing to get us through the trees.”

Kevin grabbed the pouch and held on tightly, while Ailsa warned the others of the crash they had to make.

Even Neil held on, shielding Matt from harm by putting him in his lap. Andrew in the meantime was praying to every God he had ever heard about to please forgive him for not believing and please please please have them land safely. 

The kin landed, a little rushed, but they managed to stay on their paws and help their passengers get out safely. 

Andrew dropped face first into the soft grass on the forest floor, not willing to move for at least a few hours. Kevin snorted when seeing this, but quickly started setting up camp.

Neil was animatedly talking to an amused Dan, about how great flying was and how he liked doing those tricks with Bruna. Dan told him she was happy he liked something she did every day, which prompted Neil in telling her how amazing the thing she did everyday was.

When he turned to Kevin and Andrew to talk about it however, he saw Andrew lying on the ground, clenching the grass tightly. 

“Andrew?” he asked, a little puzzled.

“I’m not moving from this spot for at least another hour.”

Neil then remembered the tuft of hair and Andrew’s fear of heights. He sat next to Andrew, smiling sweetly.

“You can have Matt with you tomorrow. Maybe he can help you calm down.”

Upon hearing his name, Matt climbed out of Neil’s orange tunic to sit on his shoulder, looking at Andrew. He told Neil he felt sorry for Andrew and that he’d be happy to help, which made Neil smile and scratch his head.

Andrew said nothing. Then: “If you insist…”

Neil snorted and laid next to Andrew, blue eyes shining. “I guess that’s a deal then.”

Kevin looked at the two, laying next to each other. The kin did too, grinning, which prompted Kevin to ask them to look for some wood for a fire.

He then walked over to lay down at Andrew’s other side. “I dreamed of father.”

“I had guessed that’s what you wanted to do last night,” Andrew lifted his head and rolled over, to lay on his back and almost smash Neil with his flailing arm.

Neil laughed and slapped the hand away, rolling from his side to his back as well. “So? Was it a good dream?”

Kevin shrugged. “He and mom are imprisoned by the Shadowlord, but they’re both alive and father even spoke to me.”

Andrew frowned. “How? He couldn’t have known you were there.”

“No, but the sorcerer that interrogated him did, somehow.” Kevin frowned. “He was also someone father knew, but the man told him he had lost his memories, or something. It was kind of confusing.”

Andrew hummed. Neil got on his elbows to look at Kevin.

“Wasn’t there the advisor, who had fallen off the tower? Maybe it’s him.”

Kevin shook his head. “This man had blue eyes, father always described Prandine having brown eyes.”

Neil laid back down again and sighed. “Then let’s just have him be nameless. What did he ask your father?”

“Where me and Andrew are.” Kevin smirked. “Apparently we’re being sought after by the Shadowlord, but the only description he has of us is ‘a tall swordsman, a blond dwarf and a wild redhead with a bird and a mouse’.”

Both Andrew and Neil were furious at that. Neil because Matt was no mouse, but a Siskis, which was something else entirely, and Andrew at being called a dwarf. He was just… short.

Kevin laughed. “Father said we just ran away, so he had no idea where we were.” He looked at Andrew, whose hazel eyes were focused on him already. “He also told me in private, when the nameless sorcerer had gone off with the threat to ask mom the same things, that he’s proud of us. And that he loves us.”

Andrew refused to cry again, but tears did threaten to enter his eyes when Kevin told him those things in a soft voice.

Neil smiled. “That’s awesome. Now all we have to do is finish this as soon as possible and you’ll be reunited!”

Kevin felt a little awkward all of a sudden, talking about his and Andrew’s family when Neil had no-one left anymore. Neil didn’t notice and just pet Dan, who had flown down and laid down on Neil’s chest. 

“Don’t you want to see your family again?” he asked, with a little frown on his face.

Neil shook his head. “Mom is dead and watching over me, my uncle is probably dead as well as there’s no way he is able to survive the Shadowlord for this long and I know nothing of my father except for the bits my mother told me, which painted him as a bad person I better not cross paths with if I wanted to make it out alive.” He smiled. “And Dan and Matt are traveling with us, so no, I don’t want to or can’t see my other family again. But that’s fine.”

“From here on out I ban you from ever saying ‘fine’,” Andrew said. “As you clearly do not know what it should mean.”

“I do! And how did you want to make me never say ‘fine’ again?”

Andrew didn’t answer, as his answer would probably have sounded weird to Neil. “Whatever.” He grinned. “Forest junkie.”

“I should come up with a cute nickname for you as well,” Neil said, grinning. “How about dwarf?”

This made Andrew get up and chase a laughing Neil, who quickly climbed in a tree and stuck out his tongue when Andrew failed to follow.

Kevin laughed, holding a sleepy and confused Dan, and this was the scene the three kin returned to without any wood in their hands.

“What happened here?” Bruna asked, but Ailsa just shook her head.

“We have found something.” The trio looked at her. “I think you’d like to see it.”

They followed the kin to a cave they explained was a place they used to explore as young kin, because it was pretty big to them then.

“So we were exploring it again, as we had never thought of using the spring’s water to visit here, when we found something that we don’t remember ever being here.” Ailsa pointed to a stone on the other side of the cave-system.

The stone was mossy and really big, but felt out of place in this part of the forest. 

“There’s writing on it,” Andrew said, peeling away some of the moss.

Neil helped him and then looked expectantly at Kevin and Andrew.

Kevin scratched his throat. “‘Here lies Doom of the Hills, who sheltered a friendless stranger and so met his end. He will be avenged’.” He then frowned. “Wait, Doom is dead?”

“Not our Doom,” Andrew said, while Neil scoffed. “The stone is too old. This is another Doom.” He bit the inside of his cheek. “Or this is the real Doom.”

“How do you mean?”

“How many people will call their child ‘Doom’? I imagine there are almost none, so the chances of Doom sharing this Doom’s name are small. Then there’s the fact that there’s a symbol of the Resistance on the top right corner of this stone.” Andrew pointed to the symbol.

“So this Doom might have been a Resistance member and the Doom we know took over his name and identity?” Neil asked, frowning.

“Maybe. It would explain the fact that there is a Resistance, but we don’t actually know what they’ve done to, you know, ‘resist’ and that Doom wants to wait it out before taking the fight to the Shadowlord.”

“But those could be legit,” Kevin said. “They’ve operated in the shadows for all of these years, but we did meet Doom and Riko on a mission in Rithmere, where they wanted to help the champions.”

“It doesn’t take away that Doom somehow felt the need to conceal his own identity,” Andrew said. 

They remained silent after that, for one of the implications this had didn’t have to be said out loud. Because for all they knew, Doom could be working for the Shadowlord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dundunduuuuuuuunn!  
Also, I laughed when rereading the fic up to this point (I always read a little to get in some kind of flow and reacquaint myself with the characters and setting; probably because I write way to many things at once and my brain is in constant overload with different characters doing different things in different settings, whoops) and my cat looked up like 'Dafuc's wrong with u?' (the bastard) (he got scratchies and purred and then crushed my hand rolling over because he wanted me to scratch his belly but didn't understand I need my hand for that). I really have to say I'm proud of this, of all of this. 
> 
> Anyways, MYSTERIESSSSSSSSSS!! Who is Doom? Who is the nameless sorcerer? Who will be the next Guardian? What's waiting for our boys at Dread Mountain? (Fun things; one of my favorite chapters to write, probably, is going to be there).  
Find out in the next chapter! (Whenever I upload that)  
Thank you for reading this chapter (I hope you liked it) and I see you next time!  
Lots Of Love <3
> 
> PS: fun fact, I only found out Ailsa's name was spelled that way when I tried to find some more information on her character while writing the plot. Her name is pronounced as 'Elsa', so every time she opened her mouth in the anime I almost expected her to start singing Let It Go and make sentient snowmen wherever she went. This is the reason I decided to make her markings blue, for those who were wondering.


	22. Vraal Attack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Me, after almost a month of inactivity:** *Kicks in door, holding a cat whose trying to get out of my arms in one arm and a coffee in the other, wearing a fedora hat* I'M BACK BITCHES!!

That night, Kevin, Andrew and Neil slept uneasy. After they had left the stone alone and thanked the kin for showing them, they had eaten and discussed their plans for the following day, before saying goodnight and going to bed.

But where the trio hadn’t slept much, the kin seemed to be more energized than ever.

“I think it’s because we didn’t drink the Dreaming Spring’s water,” Merin said. “I have never slept better!”

“Me neither!” Bruna said. “Although I did feel a presence near at one point.”

“A presence?” Neil asked, who had felt nothing out of the ordinary.

“Yeah. It was in the middle of the night when I woke up to someone saying my name, but all I could sense after that was some presence.”

“Maybe it was the other kin,” Ailsa said. “They’re probably checking on us.”

“That’s what I thought as well,” Bruna said, smile fading. “But they… they felt, no, sounded urgent, as if they were trying to warn us of something.”

The three kin fell silent, eyeing each other worriedly.

“Well, let’s get to Dread Mountain as soon as possible then,” Kevin said. “The sooner we’re there, the sooner you three can go back and see what’s wrong.”

So they climbed in, Andrew holding Matt tight when Merin took off. Matt nuzzled his cheek and yipped, telling Andrew it would soon be over and not to worry. Andrew couldn’t understand of course, but he was happy with the distraction and comfort that Matt brought.

While flying, Neil let Bruna make weird flips again, keeping his yells to a minimum as not to make Andrew even more anxious. Kevin was discussing their approach to Dread Mountain with Ailsa in the meantime, as they had both come to the conclusion just flying in blind would be suicide.

“Just how poisonous are those arrows actually?” Kevin asked. “It might be good to know whether there’s an antidote or not, as we will probably come across the gnomes at some point.”

“There is no antidote,” Ailsa said, grimly. “Once you’ve been hit, there’s only a quick but painful death in front of you, as the poison burns its way through your body. The longest a kin has held out to the poison, as far as I remember, was less than five minutes.”

Kevin shivered. “Okay, so definitely no getting hit with the arrows than.”

“Yes, avoid that at all costs.”

The rest of the ride went in relative silence, if you didn’t count Neil’s laughter from time to time when Bruna and he did some stunt again.

Both Kevin and Andrew couldn’t remember Neil ever laughing that much. Kevin guessed it made sense though; Neil liked to be free, and flying was kind of freeing. Andrew just cherished the moment and pet Matt, who was distracting him in Merin’s pouch by chatting on and on about anything he came up with. Again, Andrew did not understand a word he was saying, but the constant chirping, squealing and yipping helped him be distracted from flying in the first place, so it was… nice.

“Okay ladies, we’re reaching Dread Mountain!” Ailsa shouted after a while. “So boys, hold on tight, this is definitely going to be a bumpy ride from here on out.”

The mountain came into view. It was… kind of nice, with the sun sitting almost on top of it. The entire surface was spiky and black, but Kevin could see at least two rivers going down, creating a stark contrast to the sober ground.

“Ah,” Neil said. “So that’s why it’s called Dread Mountain instead of Green Mountain!”

Andrew snorted from inside of Merin’s pouch, holding Matt close to him.

“Hold on!” Ailsa yelled.

The kin dove down, and that’s when Kevin saw the glistening of metal coming from the mountain.

“Gnomes!” he yelled, freezing when Ailsa ducked to avoid one of the arrows.

Neil got out his knife, but if he was being honest he knew that if an arrow came in range for him to knock out of the way it’d be too late anyways. It did make him feel better though, at least knowing he could make an attempt to safe Bruna (and himself, as he’d die as well if she got hit; they were still too high up to make the drop down be a safe one).

Andrew just closed his eyes, dug his fingers in Matt’s soft fur and hoped it would be over soon, preferably before he threw up.

With some dodging and yelling, the kin eventually managed to reach the black-ish trees that made the whole mountain appear to be black and spiky, meaning they had made it and were safe. For now.  
Kevin stepped out and thanked Ailsa for the ride before going over to Neil, who was helping Andrew out with Matt on his shoulder.

“I’m really sorry, but-” Before Merin could continue, Andrew cut her off.

“I know, it’s fine.”

“My line,” Neil commented.

“Shut up forest junkie.”

Kevin smiled and put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder, who was standing on the ground, taking some deep breaths before composing himself and looking at the kin, who were looking at the trees in awe.

“The Boolong trees have never been this high,” Merin said. “At least, not that I remember.”

“The forest is thick as well,” Ailsa said. “Probably because we haven’t been eating all of their cones.”

“The trees are happy as well,” Neil said, laying his hand on one. “They’re happy to see kin again on their mountain.”

The three kin smiled at him, probably thinking he was just saying things to make them feel better.

“Let’s grab some cones and leaves and leave this place,” Bruna said. “Before the gnomes come down here.”

“Gnomes don’t like the thorns,” Ailsa remarked. “So I doubt they’ll come looking for us.”

“Still,” Merin said. “Don’t forget our friends and family back at the spring. Something has happened and we need to go back.”

The three kin gathered some Boolong cones and leaves, while the trio watched and gathered some plants the kin pointed them to that were eatable. 

Not too soon after, the three kin were in the air again, waving once and then flying back to the spring as fast as they could. Andrew, Kevin and Neil waved until they were out of sight, and then started going up the mountain.

“It’s going to storm soon,” Neil said, translating what Dan had told him when she landed on her shoulder. “Not too far up ahead there’s a flat area with some caves, so maybe we can find some shelter over there.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? If we stay near the river?” Kevin asked, vaguely remembering the one time his mother took him into the forest to gather ingredients and told him such a thing.

“We’ll be fine,” Neil said, jumping up a few rocks and observing the platform Dan had mentioned. “It’s high enough for the water to want to fall down instead of up, and the caves are higher up.” He pointed to the few he saw.

Andrew hummed, determined to keep his eyes trained on the platform and not the high drop that they had just climbed up. In the Shifting Sands his fear wasn’t too prominent, but after flying with the kin, it kind of was all he could think of.

Luckily for the trio, this meant Andrew noticed some shadows approaching from the forest, which meant that he could push them behind a large rock sitting near the edge of the platform.

“What the-” Kevin quickly cut himself off when he saw the strange men appearing.

They looked like Grey Guards, with the grey skin and the uniform-style, but their uniform was red, and they looked more… buff. As if they were created and or trained to have more muscles. They also had two swords instead of a sling to shoot Blisters. 

All in all, these guys were a weird group of what seemed to be Grey Guards. 

One observed the area and then turned to the others to address them. “We’ll do a quick search and meet back here in five minutes. If you find them, send the signal and then try to obtain them. The Shadowlord wants the three dead or alive, so do what you must and don’t hold back.”

“Do you think they’re looking for us?” Kevin whispered. 

“No, they’re looking for the Shadowlord’s lost kittens,” Andrew whispered back. “Who else could they be looking for?”

“Resistance-members?”

“We kind of are,” Neil muttered, looking over the edge to see how difficult the climb down would be. 

“We need to get out of here, or get ready to fight.” Kevin eyed the red Grey Guards, counting how many there were and looking how tough their leader was.

“And whatever we do, we need to do it fast,” Andrew added. “And I’m not going back down again.”

“Forest?”

Neil put his hands on their mouths, as one of the Guards was coming closer. He let go and eyed the forest, where Dan sat in a tree.

She cawed, telling him something was flying towards them.

Neil looked up and saw something resembling a kin. But what was one doing here? Did they come back for something?

The kin looked small, and flew a little uncoordinated, fighting against the winds that had started blowing; another sign a storm was coming their way. 

Kevin also looked, frowning, then widening his eyes. _Wait, was that-_

The young kin noticed them as well, smiling broadly, but then she saw the Guard coming closer and all three boys looking at her. “Guys! Look out!”

Andrew grabbed his knife, knowing their spot had been made known to the strange Guards now that Robin had shouted.

“Robin!” Neil yelled, not caring anymore and jumping up. “Watch out for the gnomes!”

“I’ll be fine! I made it this far!” Robin protested, but then the arrows started flying towards her and she had to dodge with a little yelp.

“Look who it is,” the Guard’s leader said, grabbing his swords. “The swordsman, the blond dwarf and the redhead.”

Kevin grabbed his sword and gritted his teeth. This was going to be a tough fight.

Neil hadn’t grabbed his weapons yet, more concerned with how Robin was fairing. Andrew and Kevin therefore decided to jump out of their hiding place and stand between him and the Guards.

“Who are you?” Kevin asked.

“We’re the Carn Squad, the Shadowlord’s special Guard and the greatest hunters Deltora has ever known. We do not and will not stop until our prey is in our hands, either dead or alive.”

“Don’t feel too special,” Andrew said. “I think our friend could name a few animals that’d be greater hunters, if he _was paying attention that is._”

Neil didn’t get the hint and was almost wishing the arrows to go away. His body started to tingle and he felt his hands and eyes burning. It wasn’t a painful or unpleasant burn though, confusing Neil a little and making him look down.

Andrew and Kevin in the meantime were defending themselves against the Carn Squad, Andrew cursing Neil for not assisting them.

Then, Robin yelped, making everyone look up and see her falling down with an arrow in her wing.

“ROBIN NO!” Neil shouted, running into the forest she fell down in.

“You two, after him!” The Carn Squad leader said to two of his soldiers, before attacking Kevin and making him stumble back.

Andrew wanted to help him, but he had his hands full with two dual wielding soldiers that kept attacking, so he couldn’t really do anything.

“Did the Shadowlord send you?” Kevin asked, trying to distract the leader. 

“Who else? We’re his best Grey Guards, specially created and trained to hunt our prey to the corners of the world without giving up, so to catch you three he felt the need to rely on the best.”

“Congratulations!” Andrew said, dodging another sword. “How does this make you feel?”

The Carn Squad did not appreciate his sarcastic comment, as their attacks grew worse and more agitated, as if they wanted this to be over soon.

Neil in the meantime was running through the forest, following Dan’s instructions on where to find Robin. He knew two Guards were following him, but he trusted his speed and agility would give him a chance to lose them in the forest, as he felt like he had no time to fight them off.

Matt told him to dodge to the left, as a Blister had been fired. Neil dodged and ran on, ignoring the explosion and the scream the tree that was hit let out.

He prayed Robin would still be breathing when he reached her, because he was sure the nectar from the Lilies of Life could not bring creatures back from the dead.

Eventually he managed to lose the Guards and reached a clearing, where Robin was laying on her side.

“Robin,” he panted, falling to his knees next to her and listening to her heartbeat. 

It was still beating. Robin was still alive and breathing. Maybe he could help.

Neil grabbed the bottle with the nectar, got the arrow out of her wing and let the last drops of nectar drip on the wound.

“Please work,” he said. “It’s the last we have.”

Andrew and Kevin in the meantime, were not having a great time. Kevin’s arm had been injured by the leader and he and Andrew were being backed into a metaphorical corner, as the edge of the mountain was not too far from them. 

Andrew hoped Neil had managed to get away from the Carn Squad members following him and was safe and sound with Robin, because then at least they had one member of their little group out of the Shadowlord’s grasp. Then all he had to do was get Kevin to safety, as he had the Belt and could continue the quest on his own if he had to. Andrew didn’t like it, but he knew it was the best option for his brother.

Kevin watched their opponents, trying to ignore the flaring pain coming from his wound. The Carn Squad leader had torn op the sleeve of his shirt and part of his glove with one of his swords, making a cut from his wrist to his elbow.

The leader wanted to say something, but then they all heard a loud roar coming from the forest. Not too long after, a monster appeared out of the forest.

It had green and yellow scales, a tail with spikes, four paws even though it moved and stood on its hind legs, his front paws having large claws. Kevin didn’t see any eyes, but when the creature came closer he saw two orange dots up front and one on it’s side, all eyeing him. His mouth opened, and if the rows of sharp teeth that were visible when it had its mouth closed, there were at least two other rows of teeth in his mouth, all sharp and looking like they’d maul anything that got in. 

The Carn Squad had to jump back, as the beast jumped over and stood between them. 

For a small moment Kevin hoped it was trying to protect them, but then he saw its nostrils widening and its eyes glistening with pleasure, mouth opening and tongue swinging from side to side as if it couldn’t wait to devour its prey.

“Ah, it seems a Vraal has smelled blood.” The leader sheathed his swords and grinned. “I’ll be sorry to report the Shadowlord that I couldn’t get two of my prey in one piece.”

Andrew glared at him, moving to stand between the Vraal-beast and Kevin. 

“Good luck lads,” the leader said, turning towards the forest. “We’ll tell your friend what happened when we get to him.”

And just like that, Kevin and Andrew were left alone with a hungry Vraal. 

Neil was watching Robin when he heard something roar. He looked back at where his friends were and bit his lip. He couldn’t really leave Robin alone, in case the two Guards came by while looking for him. But the roar sounded like a very hungry and or angry beast, and he definitely didn’t want Andrew and Kevin to fight that on their own.

Matt nuzzled his neck, knowing what Neil was thinking of and telling him it was okay.

Neil smiled, put Matt down on Robin’s head and smiled. “You stay here and watch Robin with Dan. I’ll be back as soon as I know for sure Andrew and Kevin are safe, okay?”

Dan cawed and Matt yipped, wishing him good luck and to watch out.

And with that, Neil ran back through the forest, going uphill for a bit to make sure he would eventually get across the river they had been following. 

It didn’t take him long to find his friends, standing a little lower and with their backs to the cliff, with a strange beast that looked really threatening and sharp – with the claws and such – trying to get through Andrew’s defence.

Kevin had a wound on his left arm, something he was clutching with his other hand, and Andrew didn’t look like he could keep the beast at bay for much longer.

Neil looked around and saw a big boulder at the edge of the small hill he was standing on. If he could get that to fall on top of the beast… 

He ran towards it and started pushing, feeling his hands and eyes burn along with the strange sensation in his stomach. 

“ANDREW! KEVIN!” he yelled when the boulder came lose.

Kevin looked him in the eye, a small gasp escaping his throat. 

“MOVE!” Neil yelled, giving one push more and releasing the boulder.

He swore he felt some magic coming off it, but he wrote it off on the Belt around Kevin’s middle, which was basically screaming with magic. 

Kevin pushed Andrew aside, who saw the boulder coming but was a little occupied with the Vraal. They fell to the ground, hearing the Vraal’s yelp and growl when the boulder hit him and flew him over the cliffside.

Panting, they lay there for a while, until Neil had come down and reached them. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, eyeing Kevin’s cut and Andrew’s face.

Andrew nodded. “Yeah, thanks to you.”

Neil smiled. “What even was that?”

“It’s called a Vraal,” Kevin said. “I think they also use them to fight in the Shadowarena, because they’re vicious. The Carn Squad didn’t want to fight it at least.”

“Is that what gave you the cut in your arm?”

“No, that was the Carn Squad leader. How’s Robin?”

Neil bit his lip. “I gave her the last of the nectar from the Lilies of Life, but she hasn’t woken up yet. I’m scared it might not be enough.”

The other two said nothing. They did decide to get her closer to the river, as they had to move to a cave soon for the storm. 

Andrew and Neil did all the heavy lifting, as Kevin couldn’t really help without injuring his arm further. Neil put some make-shift bandage on it – consisting of what was left of Kevin’s sleeve – but they still had to treat it.

With Robin near the river and Kevin’s cut properly treated, the trio sat in silence for some time. 

“Are you sure it was the last you had left?” Kevin asked silently.

Neil nodded. The silence returned.

Robin’s wound had healed up – there was no trace left of there ever being an arrow in her wing – but she herself still had to wake up. 

Kevin remembered what Ailsa had told him, that there was no cure for the poison the gnomes used on their arrows. But the Lilies of Life were supposed to treat everything, weren’t they? 

He almost wanted to use the Ruby to see if that might help, but then he remembered it only cured snake venom. But maybe what the gnomes used was snake venom. 

His hand was on the Belt when Robin suddenly stirred and opened her eyes, fixating them on Andrew, who rose his eyebrow.

“Did I crash down?” she asked, voice still weak.

Andrew huffed. “No, you got hit by a poisonous arrow.”

“Oh.” Robin rolled over and saw the other two hovering over her now. “Then why am I not dead?”

“I gave you the last bit of a healing nectar,” Neil said, smiling. “How do you feel?”

“Dizzy.”

“What are you doing here?” Kevin asked her.

“I wanted to see the mountain, so I followed you guys. You did fly a little too quick, but after a while I found my way over.” Robin grinned, but Andrew wasn’t amused. 

“You could have died Robin. If Neil were a little late, you would have. Or if we weren’t near to help you.”

“I had almost made it!”

“Emphasis on the almost!” Andrew yelled back.

“Andrew!” Neil shouted, eyeing him angrily. “She made a mistake, so what? She’s here now and we need to keep her with us until another kin comes to get her.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Kevin asked, while Robin’s eyes had lit up. 

“Clearly not. Did you really want to just leave her alone? Unprotected in an unknown environment? What if there’s another Vraal, hm? How is she supposed to protect herself?”

“I can protect myself just fine!” Robin protested.

“We cannot take her with us!” Andrew said, ignoring the young kin. “It’s too dangerous!”

“It’s safer than leave her alone,” Neil argued. “And if you two do not want to do it, I’ll take care of her.”

Andrew huffed. “Martyr.”

Neil wanted to react, but then Robin tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the edge of the cliff, eyes wide.

“What’s that?” she asked with a shaky voice.

A familiar roar rang through the air and the trio looked at each other.

“Kevin, go hide with Robin,” Andrew said, and when his brother wanted to protest, he glared and added: “You’re injured.”

He and Neil grabbed their knives and charged at the Vraal, who seemed to be grinning in delight.

Kevin grabbed Robin and they went to the hill Neil had pushed the boulder off earlier, hiding behind some bushes.

Andrew and Neil in the meantime, were not having any luck with the Vraal. It knew how to dodge every attack they tried and even when one distracted it and the other attacked, the Vraal avoided getting hurt. On the brighter side, the Vraal had not been able to hurt either Andrew or Neil. Yet.

For Andrew, this meant they had to figure out a weak spot of the beast, before it would find one of theirs. He just couldn’t find one, apart from maybe his eyes.

Neil seemed to have come to the same conclusion, so he jumped up to stab one of the Vraal’s eyes out. Unfortunately, the Vraal knew what he was trying to do and grabbed him instead, only to flung him violently towards a rock, making Neil his head and grunt in pain.

Andrew dodged the Vraal’s tail and tried to hit it in the back, but one of it’s claws scratched his chest and made him fly towards the rock Neil had been flung towards. This meant he didn’t get more injured, but it also made Neil realise Andrew had been hit, as his hand had instinctively grabbed a hold of Andrew’s chest to keep him from falling over and felt the wet blood coming from the scratches.

They had no time to address any of it though, as the Vraal stalked closer and eyed Andrew like a small child back in Del would eye the apples from the apple garden. 

Kevin couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Stay here,” he told Robin, drawing his sword and running over.

He jumped up to attack the Vraal’s back, but the Vraal saw him coming and just plucked him mid-air. Fortunately, this was what Kevin had wanted, as he smashed his sword in the Vraal’s arm, piercing it through.

With a loud yelp, the Vraal let Kevin go, giving Andrew an opportunity to attack its legs while Neil got up and tried not to lose balance. 

Andrew’s attack did not work, but at least now they were… sort of even. Kind of. But not really.

“Is this thing a killing machine or something?” Kevin asked out loud while dodging another arm. 

Neither Andrew nor Neil reacted, both too wrapped up in the fight to do so.

Not too long after, they were all panting and standing in a corner, backs to the rock Neil had bashed his head against. 

“When I say run, you run,” Andrew told the other two. 

“Hell no,” Kevin said, while Neil grit his teeth and stubbornly stood his ground. 

“Don’t be a fool and just listen to what I tell you!” Andrew hissed.

Before either Kevin or Neil could react, they heard a familiar voice cry: “HEY UGLY!”

It was Robin, who was holding something purple in her paw. 

“Robin no!” Kevin yelled. 

Robin didn’t listen. She dove down, eyes determined. 

The Vraal opened its mouth to roar, and that was when Robin threw the purple stuff down his throat. 

She immediately flew away, dodging its tail and hovering above the others, who watched as the Vraal started screaming and yelping in pain and horror.

It stumbled for a bit, before running and bumping into the trees of the forest. Not too long after, the roaring stopped and made place for the rumbling of the river.

Robin landed next to Kevin, grinning. “Green is the good moss, it takes away the pain. Purple is the bad moss that brings it back again!” she sung.

The trio just stared at her.

Robin’s cheeks got a little darker. “Mom and the others used to sing that to me, describing how there was green and purple moss growing on the Boolong trees. I wanted to help, so I decided to test their story.” Her eyes lit up. “And it did! Isn’t that awesome?”

Neil laughed, while Kevin and Andrew still stared at her, perplexed.

“Well, one thing is for sure,” Neil said, putting an arm over Robin’s shoulders. “I think she’ll be a great addition to the team for now. She knows these mountains better than we do.”

Kevin and Andrew couldn’t do much else but agree, Kevin smiling a little fond and Andrew sighing.

“Well, can you get us some of that green moss? We could definitely use it.”

A few hours later, they all sat around a fire, green moss and bandages on the cuts and bruises and a raging storm outside.

Neil had put on a blanket against the cold and was staring at the fire, while Andrew tried to nap and Kevin explored the cave they were in a little, accompanied by Robin.

“I think hide and find will be fun in here,” Robin said. “There’s so many places to hide!”

Kevin smiled, but then he noticed something on one of the walls. It was red, and it didn’t take Kevin long to find out it was a message, written with blood.

“Guys!” he yells back. “I found something!”

Neil and Andrew appeared a little later, bringing torches with them. They all look at the message.

“What does it say?” Neil asked. “I mean, I recognize the symbol of the Resistance underneath, but someone was desperate enough to write this out with their blood, so I’m kind of curious.”

“Maybe we can teach you how to read while we wait out the storm,” Andrew said.

Kevin decided to read it out loud, as Andrew didn’t want to, if Kevin had to go off what Andrew had said.

Who exactly am I?  
All is darkness around me,  
but I will never despair.  
There are only three things  
of which I’m sure:  
I know I am a man.  
I know where I have been.  
And lastly, I know what it is  
that I must do.  
For now, that has to be enough.

They stare at it for some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Carn Pod from the books**: Who are you?  
**Carn Squad from the anime**: *lifting up their sunglasses* We're you, but cooler and more threatening to the heroes.  
(I don't remember, but the wiki named at least five different 'types of' Grey Guards, one of which transformed in the Carn Squad of the anime, where they were the only different pod of Grey Guards and the others were just called 'Grey Guards'. So did the books really distinguish them? Because I find it hard to believe; it's not like they wore name tags with 'Hello! I'm ___' and then their pod name, and it'd be a little lazy to let the Guards say their name to let the heroes know who they were)
> 
> Hey guys! Sorry for the long, long, looooooong time I was gone and didn't post another chapter. First me and my brother had switched rooms, so we had to paint the walls and such. Then I got a new laptop and had to transfer all of my documents (which were A FUCKTON OF DOCUMENTS OF ORIGINAL WORKS AND FANFICS) and kept forgetting to do so. Then school slowly started and I had to start at a new school for my internship (in the Netherlands, every teacher education means having internships from year 1 to year 4 of the study, which is time-consuming but lots of fun). And then I got sick and just slept for the first two days, after which I started watching YouTube and playing the Sims4 because my brain didn't want to cooperate and write shit down.  
I'm a little better now, but still stuck at home, which sucks, because even though staying at home and just typing away behind my laptop (or watching YouTube, or playing the Sims4, whatever I fancy at the moment) is my favorite past-time, it kind of sucks when the government tells you to do so because you may not go outside unless you're symptom-free for 24hrs.  
Anyways, I love this fic, I love you my readers and I cannot wait for the next two chapters (because ANGST and FINALEEEEEE). And after that: IT'S BOOK SIX TIME BABY!! MY SECOND FAVORITE BOOK!!!
> 
> So Lots Of Love, stay safe and see you next time! <3


	23. Trapped Under Dread Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _dedicated to my number one fan Leigh_001, who always leaves wonderful comments on almost every chapter I publish; I always look forward to them and they give me the fuel to write even more!! I love you so so much <3_
> 
> **Me**: _ peeks head around corner _ Goodness gracious, what oh what might happen in this chapter? (why are the episode-titles so fricking obvious?!)  
(Also, sorry for disappearing for almost a month. I can't promise I won't do it again, but I will say I'll try not to)

“What could it mean?” Neil asked, after the long silence.

“I think someone wrote this down to keep their sanity,” Andrew said. “They listed things they knew, as if they were struggling to remember.”

Kevin eyed the words. “A man, who’s been somewhere important and has to do something important. That says a lot.”

“Could he have escaped the Shadowlands? Those sound like a place you’d want to remember being.”

Andrew snorted and Kevin just shook his head.

“No-one’s ever escaped the Shadowlands,” Kevin said. “It’s impossible to do so.”

“Nothing’s impossible. People just haven’t tried hard enough.”

“Flying is impossible for us humans,” Andrew said, raising an eyebrow.

Neil rolled his eyes. “You could just have said you didn’t buy my theory.”

“It’s kind of scary,” Robin said. 

The others didn’t say anything, as they agreed. It was a scary thought to lose yourself in a dark cave and having to write down these things with your own blood (or just with blood because you have no other means).

Neil just sighed. “Whoever it was, I hope they made it out alive and got to do whatever they wanted to.”

“And if the thing they wanted to do was something bad?” Kevin asked.

“That won’t change my answer. Whatever they’ve been through was enough to make them feel the need to write this down, so whatever they feel like needs doing must be important to them.” Neil paused for a second. “So I hope they had the chance to do something about it.”

Kevin said nothing and just stared at the text. Maybe Neil had a point, but Kevin also hoped that whatever this person wanted to do would be something good, something against the Shadowlord, and not for him. 

Because if this had been written someone who works/worked/whatever with the Shadowlord, Kevin kind of hoped they didn’t have the chance to do something about their goal.

The next days were spent waiting, healing and playing games. Andrew had also tried to teach Neil how to read, ‘since they had the time to do so’, but gave up after Neil started questioning why things were the way they were.

“I mean, if an ‘h’ were written like this-” Neil pointed to the ‘n’- “it would have made just as much sense.”

“They’re almost the same, that’s true, but the ‘h’ is just written with a higher stick-end-thingy,” Andrew said. “To make a difference.”

“Maybe he wanted to be special.” Neil grinned, making Robin giggle and Andrew groan.

“I give up. Your forest junkie brain has no space left to learn anything useful.”

Neil laughed and later apologized, making Andrew huff and tell Neil to turn to Kevin if he wanted to do anything involving reading. Neil regretted his misbehaviour towards Andrew, because Kevin had no patience for anything and thought that by repeating the alphabet Neil would eventually learn how to read. It only helped him getting the song Kevin sang stuck in his head.

At the end of the rainy days, Neil was getting more and more restless, something that got on everyone else’s nerves as well. 

“This green moss is amazing,” Kevin said. “We were really lucky the others taught you that song Robin, or we’d still be dealing with our wounds from the fight.”

“Or dead because a Vraal ate us,” Andrew said, but everyone decided to ignore that.

Robin beamed. “I learned lots of things about Dread Mountain, because the others always told stories.” She then fell silent for a little while. “I miss them.”

The boys exchanged glances.

“I miss my mom and dad as well,” Kevin said, quietly. “They’re in a dangerous place, and even though there’s nothing I want to do more than run towards them and help, I have to continue this quest of ours.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his shimmering, green eyes. “It’s what they would have told me. So I just keep on hoping they’re alright and know that the sooner this is over, the sooner I get to see them again.”

Andrew said nothing and just nodded, drawing in the sand with a stick they had previously used for one of their games.

“I miss mommy and the others,” Robin said, smiling sadly. “But I know they watch over us! I felt their presence the other night, just before we fell asleep. That was nice.”

She turned to Neil. “Do you miss anyone?”

He shook his head. “Both my parents are dead, just like my uncle. I have no other family, except for Dan and Matt of course, but they’re here with us.”

Matt yipped and Dan cawed, telling Neil they had nowhere else they’d rather be.

“Oh. Do you remember anything about them?”

Neil fell silent for some time.

“My mother raised me alone, and never revealed much about my father, apart from him being dead and very, very dangerous. My uncle came by once or twice, and he always played with me. He called me things like ‘little bird’ and ‘kiddo’, which was kind of nice. He and mom also fought once, him yelling something about it not being a safe place for me to grow up and her telling him it was the only safe place in Deltora. Well, turned out my uncle was right, because not long after that fight the Grey Guards came, killed my mother and took my uncle, after which they probably killed him as well. Other things I remember are my mother’s lessons and days where she’d tell stories of the old days of Deltora, with Adin and such.”

“Wait, your mother told you about that?” Kevin asked, frowning.

“Bits and pieces, yes.”

Robin didn’t care about that as much as Kevin did, meaning she cut their conversation short before it could continue. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Neil turned towards her with a wry smile. “Oh, it’s alright. I was seven, so it’s been a long time ago. And I know my mother is watching over me, probably kicking my father’s butt in the Afterlife. Besides, I have these guys now.” Neil now just waved his hand in the general direction of where Andrew and Kevin were sitting, with Dan sitting on Andrew’s head and Matt on the shoulder Neil was waving over.

Robin smiled. “And me.”

Neil returned the smile. “And you.”

Two days later, the group continued their trek up the mountain, since the storm had let down and made way for a chill, but present sun.

Robin knocked aside any thorns they might have run into, enjoying her new environment way too much in Andrew’s opinion.

“She’s worse than Neil after his concussion-induced headache had disappeared,” he told Kevin. 

Kevin couldn’t do anything but agree, groaning again and yelling: “Could you slow down a little Robin? We’re not that fast!”

“Slowpokes,” she and Neil both said, but Robin waited until they were close again and then started trashing through the forest again, eating Boolong cones and telling Neil – who was walking not too far behind her – how much she had missed out on, since the cones were delicious.

The only thing stopping her from asking the trio to try them was the story her mother had told her about the one gnome who had tried a Boolong cone and thereby found out it was poisonous for gnomes. It had not been a bedtime-story for a reason.

Lost in her own thoughts, Robin almost bumped into a wall that suddenly appeared in front of her, but Neil pulling her back by her wing – which hurt but she wasn’t mad anymore when she found out she had almost crashed into a wall – helped prevent that.

“What’s that?” Neil asked.

“It looks like a small house. You do remember the time I told you people lived in those, right? I don’t want to explain it all over again.”

Neil groaned. “Get lost Andrew. I, again, meant what is it doing here?”

Kevin shrugged as he observed the small house in front of them. It was made of stone, with a layer of clay that was being peeled off by the wind and other forces of nature. On top of it was hay, but the most absurd thing was that Andrew was just as big as the home, roof included, meaning the people who lived in there had to be smaller.

“Oh!” Robin then said. “It’s a gnome rest!”

The other three looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain.

“The gnomes have these all over the forest, to stay in if they couldn’t make it back to their home in the mountain. We better go on; gnomes are tricky and this house could be filled to the brim with traps and other nasty things.”

“It looks abandoned,” Neil said. “As in, abandoned a long time ago. The trees also say there hasn’t been a gnome in any of these for years now.”

“You can talk to trees?” Robin asked, and Neil just nodded.

“Let’s see if there’s anything useful in it,” Andrew said, and he went to the door.

He had to duck down to get in, and even then he had to keep his head low if he didn’t want to hit it against the ceiling.

There was a tiny bed, a tiny table with tiny stools and a tiny fireplace with a tiny kettle.

“Wow,” Kevin said when he came in. “Even you and Neil must be giants to them.”

This earned him a kick in the shin from Andrew – who was standing in front of him and just kicked back – and a slap on the head from Neil – who was standing behind him.

Robin glanced inside nervously. “I don’t like it guys. There may not have been any gnomes here for at least a few years, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come back any minute.”

“I don’t think they’ll come back soon,” Andrew said.

“Why not?”

“Because the forest is too thick. I think it was Ailsa who had mentioned that gnomes don’t like the thorns.”

Kevin nodded. “Not only that, but I think some years ago something big happened. Something that keeps the gnomes from actually coming out often.”

“What makes you say that?” Neil asked.

“Two things.” Kevin held up two fingers and then put his hand under his chin. “One, if the gnomes really wanted to keep these rests, which would be in their best interest, they’d probably have tried to find a method to keep the Boolong trees from growing too much, keeping some paths free.”

Andrew nodded along, as he thought so as well.

“The other thing is Crenn. He said the gnomes had a… unwelcome visitor, wasn’t it?” He looked at the others. “I think he dreamed of the gnomes’ hide-out and saw the Guardian, who may be keeping the gnomes close for who knows what reason.”

Neil and Andrew said nothing. Neil bit his lip and pet Matt absentmindedly.

“What’s a Guardian?” Robin asked.

The trio stared at her. Then Andrew and Kevin looked at each other, wondering who should break the news.

Neil crouched down a little to look her in the eyes. “We can’t tell you.”

Robin wanted to protest, but Neil held up his hand.

“And not because we think you’re too small to know the truth, or because we think you cannot handle yourself. We haven’t told anyone about any of this, and that’s for one reason and one reason only.” He smiled. “It’s too dangerous for anyone to know what we’re doing. For their own sake, but also for our quest’s sake. If anyone found out and it somehow got back to bad people, it would jeopardize our quest. And they are already suspecting something is off.”

Robin took that in. “So I can’t know… because it’s dangerous information?”

“You got it.” Neil’s smile grew. “And don’t worry. If we succeed, everyone will know, so it’s not like you’ll never get to know what we were up to.”

“And if you fail?”

“We won’t. We’ve been through much danger and peril already, so I’m positive we can make it to the end.”

Andrew smiled a little. “Maybe you’re not a forest junkie, but a hopeful one.”

“What is it with you and ruining moments by bringing up my stupid nickname?”

Kevin snorted, while Andrew’s smile turned into a grin. Robin giggled, and that was when Neil had to let his frown go and smile as well.

After their investigation of the gnome hideout, they went into the forest again, trying to get up the mountain and find where the gnomes were living.

Not an hour after leaving, they somehow stumbled on a road leading from what they guessed was the top of the mountain to the bottom. 

“Well, that’s lucky,” Neil said. “I bet the gnomes use this one to get to their home.”

“We’ll need to careful then,” Andrew said. “We could bump into them on here.”

Robin looked at them worriedly, but smiled when Neil and Kevin sent her a reassuring smile.

“Let’s see where this leads us.” And with those reassuring words from Kevin, they started walking up the mountain, this time on a path.

Robin stayed close to the others now, not willing to venture out on her own anymore. The stories her mother and the other kin always told her about the gnomes kind of scared her, as they’re nasty and killed any kin on sight for their hides. Robin would like to keep her hide thank you very much.

Eventually she did venture out a little, too curious for her own good. Neil kept an eye on her through Dan, who flew close to the kin and made sure she was in no immediate danger.

“Hey guys! What’s this?”

The others ran over to where Robin was standing near the edge of the woods, eating another Boolong cone.

“It looks like a Boolong cone,” she said. “But it’s too shiny.”

“It’s a Blister,” Kevin said, picking it up. “It’s what Grey Guards use as a weapon, just like swords.”

“Maybe we should take it with us,” Neil said. “It could be handy.”

Kevin nodded and pocketed it. And with that, they continued their way up.

Not too long after, they exited the forest area and entered the rocky top of Dread Mountain.

“We should be careful here,” Neil said. “There’s nowhere to hide, and both the Carn Squad and the gnomes could be around here somewhere.”

“We do have brains junkie,” Andrew said.

“I was just saying.”

Kevin sighed. He just put his hand on the hilt of his sword and trekked on, ignoring the other two and whatever shenanigans they wanted to be up to.

Robin looked a little puzzled, and then followed Kevin up the mountain.

As Kevin was the one leading the others now, he was the first to find that the path lead to a open space with lots of white sand, arrows and small footprints everywhere.

In the mountain itself there were strange markings on one of the stones, and when Kevin cautiously walked closer he saw it was a door.

“We found it,” he said, drawing his sword just in case.

Neil looked up at Dan, a silent question if there was anyone nearby. She said there wasn’t, but she didn’t like that if she were honest.

Matt chirped that it was too quiet, and it kind of creeped him out.

“Yeah, me too,” Neil told him, scratching his fur.

“So, how do we get in?” Andrew asked, eyeing the door.

“Knocking? I’m sure the gnomes will love to invite us in,” Neil joked.

“Don’t! If a gnome opens there’s no way it can be good. They’re sneaky and very, very good with traps.”

“I think you had mentioned that before,” Andrew said. “Does it bother you so much?”

“Of course! Mom and the others always said how they enjoyed torturing people and playing games, and how they liked to see people and kin panic and-”

Kevin tried to push the door open, grunting when that didn’t work.

“Why are you trying to get inside?! I told you, gnomes are-”

“Dangerous, and we know that.” Neil smiled at Robin. “But they might have something we need, so we need to get in and take it from them. We have faced danger like this before, so we’ll be fine.”

“I think you’re underestimating the gnomes,” Robin said, and Neil’s smile tightened a little.

Before he could react though, Kevin broke in: “Guys, there’s some writing on the wall.”

Andrew turned his gaze from Neil to Kevin and raised an eyebrow. His brother was tracing something on the top of the door, frowning.

“It’s too dark to read, but I think I can make out some letters.”

“So you just want to guess?” Andrew asked him. “I think that’s stupid. If the gnomes are sneaky and smart, I’m sure they’ll have left a clue of some kind to be able to read it.”

He observed their surroundings, the sand, the arrows, the footprints, the rocks… Then his gaze returned to the sand.

“Here.” Andrew shove Kevin aside and threw some sand on the door, making sure it stayed in the carved out letters. “We can use the sand to make the letters more visible.”

Kevin smiled and helped Andrew scoop up sand to put on the door. After some time, they were able to read the riddle.

Neil looked at the words and recognized some letters – maybe, the a and the u looked much alike and the b could just as well be a, d, or a p; so who really knew – and eventually just gave up and looked at the other two to read it for him.

Kevin cleared his throat.

find an arrow  
straight and narrow  
this will be your front door key  
find it’s mate upon the gate  
turn it once and then once more  
push don’t pull the door

There were some strange lines underneath, but they didn’t pay mind to those. This riddle was taking up their attention now.

“That’s not too hard of a riddle,” Andrew said, a little surprised. “I thought gnomes were sly masterminds.”

“They are!” Robin said. “So I don’t trust it!”

“But all we need to do is grab one of the arrows lying around here, find a keyhole and then turn it twice. And then we can go inside.”

“It’s a little stupid to just leave the key lying around,” Neil said, but his gut told him to be careful. It was too easy.

“It’s too easy,” Andrew said, as if he had read Neil’s thoughts. “So I think we should still be careful with how we advance.”

Kevin grabbed one of the arrows, felt for a keyhole and put it in. After turning it twice, he pushed the door open with ease.

“Something is wrong,” Robin said. “The gnomes are smarter than this.”

The others said nothing. Carefully, they stepped inside.

Robin hesitated for a bit, before standing behind Andrew, who was watching Neil and Kevin carefully make their way into the long tunnel.

Someone snickered. Neil immediately grabbed his knife, Robin shrunk a little and hid behind Andrew, while Kevin stared at the shadows in front of him. No sound or movement was made after that.

Something felt wrong, which is why Kevin carefully did another step forward, hand on the hilt of his sword. 

Andrew wanted to follow – and hiss at Neil to move, as the redhead was just standing there – but Robin felt her braveness fade away and yelped: “WAIT!” while pulling Andrew back by grabbing his cloak.  
He landed on his back, which caused Neil and Kevin to look back, Neil with a small frown that turned into a smile and Kevin with a face of pure confusion.

“I’m sorry,” Robin said softly. “I- I just don’t-”

“Don’t like it,” Andrew grunted, sighing internally. “We got that.”

Kevin decided to move on while Neil waited for Andrew to stand up and follow, which meant only Neil and Robin saw Andrew frown, deepen the frown, and then widen his eyes.

“KEVIN WAIT!” he then yelled, and just in time.

Kevin had stepped on a part of the path that suddenly gave way beneath his feet. If Andrew hadn’t yelled, he wouldn’t have turned around before falling, which meant his reflexes couldn’t have kicked in and made him grab the edge of the pit he was about to fall in.

“Kevin!” Andrew yelled, but he didn’t have to move, as Neil had run over.

Kevin looked down, paled and started cursing and trying to get up the ledge. 

Neil tried to help, but Kevin’s desperation was enough to help him climb out of the pit.

“There were bones,” he said, gasping. “And spikes. And more bones. And maybe dried blood. Have I mentioned the spikes?”

They then joined Andrew and Robin at the end of the tunnel, closing the door behind them.

“Okay,” Neil said. “Something went wrong there.”

“Yep, there was an extra sentence to our little riddle.” Andrew pointed to the lines they had thought of as decoration. “If you tilt the door, or had been pulled down by a paranoid kin, you see that those lines form letters and actually say ‘to find your end’. Which means that following the riddle, you’d meet your end.”

“But how else will we get in?” Kevin asked. “We can’t just try and avoid wherever the pits are!”

“By doing the opposite,” Andrew said. “We still have to use the arrow and turn it twice, but instead of pushing the door, we’re going to pull it.”

Kevin was still a little skeptical, but they did as Andrew had proposed and then used a small, round rock Neil and Dan had found to test the ground.

“No pits,” Neil said. “So it’s probably trap-free.”

“But not gnome free,” Robin said. 

They went in again, this time Andrew up front, Kevin in the middle and Neil and Robin at the back of their group. Robin held the back of Neil’s shirt, both for comfort and to pull him away if something happened that might endanger him.

The gnomes didn’t show up, nor did they make themselves known to be watching by giggling again. Kevin didn’t know whether this was good or bad, but he did know that being over 6 feet in tunnels that were made for much, much smaller people was annoying as hell.

“If it goes on like this,” he commented when he had to crouch deeper, “I will have to get on my knees and just crawl through.”

Neil snorted and Andrew grinned, for once happy they lacked height. 

Fortunately – for Kevin at least – they came across an intersection where even Kevin could stand straight without even coming remotely close to the ceiling. Andrew thought it might have been a natural cave once, before the gnomes dug all the tunnels and stabilized parts with wood so they wouldn’t suddenly collapse.

There were three tunnels in front of them, all leading somewhere and without any signs of where they went, as the only difference was that the middle one was higher and bigger than the other two.

“Which one do we choose?” Neil asked aloud, looking into one of the caves.

“The middle one,” Kevin said.

Neil frowned. “Why?”

“It’s the tallest. Maybe I can walk instead of crouch then.”

Neil wasn’t impressed. “Is that your only reason?”

“It doesn’t matter what tunnel we pick anyways,” Andrew interjected. “We don’t know where they lead, so why not pick the one that will be easier for our giant?”

Kevin glared at his brother, who just walked into the chosen tunnel without looking back. Neil and Robin went in after Andrew, so Kevin caught up to speed and they continue on.

It didn’t take long for the gnomes to show up again. Not long after they had entered the tunnel, Neil heard a loud sound of stone smashing, followed by footsteps.

Matt warned them trouble was coming and Dan flew to Neil’s other shoulder, feeling more at ease that way.

“We have company,” he said, looking around just when the gnomes turned up.

Andrew drew his knife, but Kevin just smiled and waved.

“Hi!” he said, hoping they could solve it diplomatically. “We didn’t enter these caves looking for a fight with you, so if we just both go our separate ways and pretend we didn’t see each other-”

“Likely story,” a female gnome with brown hair said.

“No! Really! If you’d just listen-”

“We only listen to the Great Gellick!” a redhaired, male gnome said. 

Kevin frowned and wanted to ask who that was when the first small battle-axe was thrown.

Andrew grabbed his brother and started running, Neil and Robin way ahead of them.

“Those gnomes won’t listen you idiot!” Andrew told Kevin while slamming an arrow away with his knife. “We’re the intruders here!”

“It’s Dread Gnomes!” one of the gnomes yelled proudly.

Andrew just rolled his eyes, slammed another arrow down and continued running.

Neil and Robin ran into another tunnel, but there were other Dread Gnomes waiting for them there, so Neil grabbed Robin’s tail and they ran out to the tunnel they were in before, almost colliding with Kevin and Andrew.

“Is it just me, or are they herding us somewhere?” Neil asked when tunnels to their left and right started closing.

“Just run!” Kevin said, hoping they could outrun the closing tunnels and get into one.

Robin almost got hit by another arrow, but Neil took his job as her caretaker very seriously and pulled her away just in time.

They continued running, but then they reached a dead end.

Before they could figure out what to do now, a door behind them slammed shut and they realized they had fallen for the gnomes’ trap.

“Great,” Kevin said. “Any idea of how we can get out?”

“Well, unless one of us has a pickaxe, I fail to see how we can get out of this stone prison.” Andrew observed the few torches that were on the walls, whose flames didn’t move. “Also, we’re going to run out of air sometime, so unless someone suddenly develops magical powers and magics us out of here, we have to think of another solution.”

“Run out of air?” Robin gasped. “Oh, I knew we would fall for their traps eventually! I told you the gnomes are sneaky!”

She started breathing fast, on the verge of tears. “I want mommy!”

Neil sat down in front of her and wiped away her tears. “We’ll be fine. I’m sure the gnomes will come in soon to taunt us or something, so we just have to make sure we will be able to take them on when they do.”

“But what if they never come!”

“Maybe we should spy on them,” Andrew said. “Kevin, you still have some of that water from the Dreaming Spring, right?”

Kevin nodded. 

“We’ll use that to spy on one of the gnomes that had attacked us, let's say the brunette, and hopefully we can find out what they’re planning.”

“I’ll watch over,” Neil offered. “I’m not drinking that again, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll stay awake then as well,” Robin said. “To keep you company.”

The others knew that wasn’t the entire truth, but they just decided not to ask and let Robin do as she wished.

This left Andrew and Kevin to drink the last of the Dreaming Spring’s water, falling asleep quickly after.

Robin looked at their unconscious bodies and then looked at Neil, who noticed her looking from the corner of his eye and tore his eyes away from the sleeping duo to look at her as well.

“We’ll be alright, right?” Robin’s voice was small, as tears made her brown eyes blurry again.

Neil smiled. “I don’t know, but I will promise you to get you out of here. Whatever it may take.”

This didn’t take away Robin’s uneasy feeling, but Dan flew over and put her head against Robin’s. Robin returned the gesture and then grabbed Dan to hug her.

Neil looked at the small kin and one of his best friends, understanding her fear and need for comfort, but also knowing that the hard reality wouldn’t magically become better if you sprinkled some sugared words on it, so it was better to just face reality head on and fight with whatever you had.

Robin could fight, Neil knew that from her fierce insistence of not being a child anymore and the purple moss she threw in the Vraal’s mouth. But Robin was also young, and had lived most of her life in an isolated place.

He looked at Kevin and Andrew again, hoping they’d wake up soon with some kind of solution to their situation now. Preferably _before_ they ran out of oxygen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! ALL OF THE ANGST!  
I also adjusted my plot slightly to fuel my sadistic needs, which means I added a chapter and removed another (the chapter I removed was kind of filler anyways, so it's no major loss). So yeah, that's one thing that has been going on in the background.  
Another thing that happened is that I now have... (looks at smudged sticky note on top of my laptop) [ tamble](https://crazypenguinwriter.tumblr.com/).  
Soooo, if you want to hear me ramble about writing things, fandom things, life things or just... things, go take a look at that! (as of right now I have three posts, one is an introduction of sorts, one is a ramble post about some blanket a friend of mine had found and is perfect for the Foxes to use, and the last one is some writing advice, so yeah).
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you the next time!  
Lots Of Love <3  
Penn


	24. The Great Gellick!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***sips hot chocolate***  
You're all going to hate me at the end of this chapter.

It was still weird to wake up and know you were dreaming, Kevin found out when he opened his eyes and saw the piles and piles of gold in front of him.

“I think I get why Dread Gnomes are so paranoid,” Andrew said, startling Kevin.

Kevin looked at his brother. “Wait, we’re here together?”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Of course we are. Our ‘spirits’ both travelled to wherever brunette over there was.” He pointed to the female gnome that had been on the task force driving them towards the trap.

Kevin watched her push some trolley with another, sad-looking gnome. On this trolley were several cylinders, filled with some purple substance that sloshed a little, and for some reason she and the other gnome were pushing it very carefully. 

“I think we found our Guardian,” Andrew noted, who wasn’t watching the female gnome at all.

He pointed to an enormous frog, sitting on the biggest pile of gold, sleeping. It had a blue-green hide and clawed feet. From it’s skin oozed some… substance that the gnomes collected and put in the cylinders.

“Are they collecting its sweat?” Kevin asked, disgusted.

“I think it’s the poison the gnomes put on their arrows,” Andrew said, but he made a mental note to himself that they did collect way more than they probably needed, so some of the poison was going somewhere else.

“Then this Guardian was here already when the kin were driven from Dread Mountain.” Kevin looked at the gnomes. “And they probably are better off this way. Why are the gnomes looking so depressed?”

The ginormous toad woke up, blinking it’s big, yellow eyes a few times before stretching a little – and making all the gnomes collecting the sweat/poison quickly run away from him, as if their lives depended on it – and yelling: “WHERE’S MY MEAL?”

Andrew noticed something moving from the corner of his eye, and then saw two gnomes on a platform that had been above the Guardian, pushing a trolley with huge, living larva. 

The gnomes pushed it over the edge, and watched how the Guardian ate it in one big gulp and huffed.

“I’m still hungry! Where’s the rest!”

The blackhaired female spoke up, after exchanging a glance with her blonde companion. “I’m afraid the Breeding Caves have been exhausted, Great Gellick. But don’t worry! We have new arrivals to feed to the larva, so soon you’ll have more.”

The Guardian, or ‘Great Gellick’ as the gnome had called it, huffed again. “Soon is not soon enough! I thought you knew how to do your job Alvarez.”

“We’re trying everything we can Great Gellick!” the other female protested. “But your appetite is so big-”

Before she could continue, Great Gellick rose up and stared at her. “Don’t you dare speak up! You know your place!”

Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry Great Gellick! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m-”

“Sorry isn’t enough!” Great Gellick spat at her.

The slime hit the gnome while she was trying to hide behind her friend, Alvarez. She didn’t make it, and as soon as she had been hit by the spit, she turned to stone.

Alvarez stepped away and leaned against the railing of the platform.

“Alvarez!” Great Gellick bellowed.

“Yes, Great Gellick?”

“You’re on watch-duty from now on, along with Ri-Nan.”

“Of course, Great Gellick. Thank you for the honour.” Alvarez bowed and walked off the platform, running the moment Great Gellick had his attention elsewhere.

She met with the brunette Andrew and Kevin had followed, who had abandoned her pushing-buddy, and an older, male, blond gnome.

The brunette hugged her, hidden from Great Gellick’s sight by a pile of gold. “That bitch wanted to use you as a shield! If Gellick hadn’t spat on her I would have definitely ended her live then and there.”

“You don’t have your bow,” Alvarez said. “And we both know Ma-Ron is better in a fistfight than you are, so there’s no way you could have won.”

“I would have thrown her ass in the poison,” the brunette threatened. “Watch me.”

“Laila, calm down,” the older gnome said, voice gentle. “Ma-Ron didn’t deserve to die like this as well, even if she tried to throw Alvarez in the line of fire.”

“Still.” Laila glared at Great Gellick. 

The older gnome wanted to say something again, but Great Gellick intervened.

“JAMES!” 

“Yes Great Gellick?” He stepped out to face the big monster.

“I heard there were prisoners?”

“There are, Great Gellick. We’re still monitoring them, but the last I heard was that two of them had fallen unconscious already while the other two are talking softly.”

“The moment they all fall unconscious you bring them to the Breeding Caves. I’m hungry and cannot wait for them to die before that.” Great Gellick then closed his eyes.

“Of course, Great Gellick.”

Laila huffed. “I hope no new prisoners arrive, so he dies of starvation.”

“What was that Laila?” Great Gellick asked.

The entire cave went still.

Alvarez came out as well, with Laila’s hand in hers, and smiled. “She wished the prisoners would drop dead already so you won’t suffer from your hunger as much.” She squeezed and Laila squeezed back.

“Hm.” And with that, Great Gellick closed his eyes again to doze off.

“You’re going to get yourself killed if you run your mouth like that!” Alvarez hissed when she was sure Great Gellick was sleeping. 

“So? It’s better than just accepting this life of slavery.”

“I’d rather have you alive. What am I supposed to do without you?”

Laila said nothing. Then she sighed.

“Go to Ri-Nan and guard, before the almighty gets upset because you’re not at your station.” She squeezed Alvarez’s hand again and then left to push trolleys again.

Alvarez watched her go, sighed and got to her own job, leaving the cave entirely.

“So the Dread Gnomes are unwillingly doing all of this,” Andrew said, looking at the gnomes collecting Great Gellick’s sweat/poison. “Maybe we can work something out and ask them for the Emerald.”

Kevin nodded, but then he noticed something glimmer on top of Great Gellick’s head.

It was the Emerald, sitting between his brows. 

“Andrew!” Kevin shook Andrew’s arm – or tried to, but his hand went straight through – and pointed at it.

“Oh, that’s just sour.” 

Kevin frowned. “No it’s not? We just have to defeat Great Gellick, something the Dread Gnomes probably want as well.”

“You’re really dense, aren’t you?” Andrew said. “The Emerald used to be the gem the Dread Gnomes’. So it sitting in their tormentors brow is really, really low.”

Kevin hadn’t thought of that.

“Anyways, we’re starting to wake up again, so we better tell Neil and Robin what we found out and discuss our next step,” Andrew said, as if he hadn’t thought that all out already.

There was a small pull and then, they were both waking up.

Neil and Robin had been staring at the bodies of their friends for quite a while now. Neil was petting Matt, while Robin paced around.

“Why is it taking them so long?” Robin asked after a while.

Neil shrugged. “Maybe there’s a lot to see.”

“What if they’re dead already?”

“Then they wouldn’t be breathing.” He looked at Andrew, who frowned a little, turned over to face Kevin and continued sleeping.

Robin still worried.

“Let’s play a game.” Neil put a sleepy Matt in his lap. 

“What game?”

“Any game you want that doesn’t involve much effort, as we do have to conserve the air in here.”

“I don’t know any games like that,” Robin said, looking down. 

Neil fell silent for some time. “Me neither, so let’s just chat for a bit.”

“Why?”

“I’m bored.” Neil lay down. “So, anything interesting to tell me?”

Robin laid next to Neil, resting on her paws. “Not really. Or rather, nothing you don’t know already.”

“There must be something.”

Robin shook her head, but before she could say anything else, Kevin woke up gasping.

Andrew sat up as well, looking a little groggy.

“And?” Neil asked.

“The Guardian is called Great Gellick, it’s a giant toad-monster that has enslaved the entire Dread Gnome population and has the Emerald sitting between his brows. The Dread Gnomes aren’t happy with their tormentor so maybe we can convince them to work with us. Also they’re somehow able to see us, so maybe there is a way out.” Kevin spoke fast, gesturing wild with his hands.

Andrew looked at Neil. “What he said.”

“They see us?” Robin asked, looking at the stone walls of their cell.

Neil’s eyes lit up. “Wait, I’ve heard of that before.” He thought for some time, while the others looked at him expectantly.

“I think Grey Guards know about it. I don’t know any details, but something that’s see-through from only one side is not something only the gnomes use or have.”

“Well, that’s helpful.” Andrew sighed and laid down. “Wake me up when you think of something useful.”

Neil and Kevin frowned, but Andrew ignored their looks and closed his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Neil asked after some time.

“Trying to sleep. If I were you, I’d do the same. It’s getting kind of suffocating in here.”

Kevin and Neil looked at each other, frowning. They both had no idea what Andrew was trying to do.

“Come lay down!” Andrew said, cheerfully, when he noticed the others were to dense to get the hint.

He pulled Kevin and Neil down and closed his eyes again. “Play along.”

Kevin did as he was told, but Neil didn’t like not understanding what Andrew was trying to get at, so Andrew had to keep him down and whisper his plan to him to calm Neil down.

Neil’s eyes went wide and he grinned, pulling Robin down and declaring she was now his pillow to get close to her and whisper Andrew’s plan in her ear discreetly, as she had no idea what the others were doing as well.

Not too long after that, they were all laying on the ground, not moving a muscle. Kevin was lying on his back, trying to look relaxed while listening to any sound that may indicate he had to jump up. Andrew was just lying down, Neil was still using Robin as a pillow while hugging Matt and Robin felt anxious, but she as well somehow didn’t move a muscle.

It didn’t take long for the gnomes to fall for their trap. 

Two gnomes opened up the door and stepped in.

“Yeah, see? They really are unconscious,” one said.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get them to the Breeding Caves as soon as possible then, before they wake up.”

One of them went to Andrew and grabbed his arm, but before he could lift Andrew up, the boy had him pinned against the floor with a knife to his throat, while Kevin took out the other guy and Neil and Robin went to the door to make sure no other gnomes would come.

“It’s empty,” Neil said, grinning.

“Let’s go then.” Kevin sheathed his sword again and started running, closely followed by Andrew. 

Robin ran after them, but Neil had found a lever and locked up the two gnomes that tried to come after them away, before starting to run himself.

The cavesystem was a maze, but they tried to make the most of it. Kevin tried to think of a possible way to know what way to go, but eventually Andrew took over and started running in tunnels that were going up, as he thought the cave where the Great Gellick and all the gold was had to be on top of the mountain, as that would be easier to defend.

So they all followed Andrew, who was trying his best to find the tunnels that went up. 

“We’ve got company!” Neil yelled after some time, as the Dread Gnomes had noticed their escape and started going after them.

Andrew cursed and ran faster, his mind solely on finding them a way out. The others could defend them against the arrows and other weapons the gnomes could throw their way.

Kevin started panicking a little, as he knew that they needed all the luck they could get to even be able to outrun the Dread Gnomes, who probably knew these tunnels like the back of their hand. 

Neil tried to slam the arrows away with his knife, to make sure none of them hit one of the others. This meant he had to run while looking back, so Matt had taken it upon herself to make sure Neil didn’t run into any walls by giving him directions. 

Robin in the meantime was running on all four of her legs, Dan in her pouch to make sure the raven wasn’t hit with any stray arrows.

They made it quite far, all things considering. Andrew might not know the tunnels and cavesystem, but they had managed to outrun the Dread Gnomes for quite some time now. Even with the gnomes splitting up and taking shortcuts to cut the group off.

Kevin was getting hopeful, even though his legs did start to burn a little.

They turned another corner and ran along.

Neil looked ahead to see how the others were doing and then slashed another arrow in two when Matt warned him about it.

The gnomes were splitting up again, probably to cut them off at some point, as they had tried to do before. 

Kevin told Andrew, who looked at the long hallway in front of them with the few doors and decided that none of those doors were someplace Dread Gnomes could pop out of, so he just continued running.

Another turn, this time with Dread Gnomes trying to intercept. Kevin dodged the arrows with the help of his sword and then passed Andrew to help him with a gnome who wielded a battle-axe.

Neil and Robin ran behind them, but Robin misjudged the turn and hit her head on the wall. This caused her to be a little dizzy, and therefore miss the arrow heading her way.

Matt yelped, trying to warn her, but Neil was there first.

He smacked the arrow and got it stuck in the ceiling. Then he helped Robin get up and wanted to run on, but felt his hand burn and gasped instead.

“Neil?” Robin asked, before seeing the boy clench his hand to his stomach and toppling over. “NEIL!”

Kevin and Andrew turned around, only to see Neil collapse on the floor.

Kevin’s eyes widened and he turned to Andrew, who was already running towards the other two.

He followed and blocked some of the other arrows flying their way, while Andrew scooped Neil up and ran towards the nearest hiding spot, followed by Robin.

They stumbled through one of the doors, immediately hit by the awful smell. It smelled like the most rotten thing that could ever be, even worse than the garbage dump near Dell, where even dead corpses had been found by the local youth brave enough to even play there.

They had landed in one of the Breeding Caves, evident by the large eggs that were the source of the smell. Some of them had tiny cracks in them, suggesting they were about to come out and have hungry larva entering the cave, but they had no time to be worried about that.

Kevin ignored his gagging reflex and blocked the door with some barrels he found standing near, trying to buy them time before the Dread Gnomes could come crashing through.

Andrew was sitting on the floor with Neil in his lap, trying to find the injury that had made Neil pass out. He thought it was something on his torso, but as those tended to bleed a lot and Neil had only a little, Andrew was a little puzzled.

Robin was inconsolable, no matter how hard Dan tried. Matt was nuzzling Neil’s face, trying to get him to wake up, to no success.

And then, Andrew found a small cut in Neil’s right hand, below his pinkie. It was about a centimeter or two long and not that deep, as if he had been hit with something flying by. Andrew’s eyes widened.

“It- he-“ Robin tried to swallow her tears to speak. “He- he was- was… an arrow.”

Kevin left the door for what it was and went to the others, hearing the word ‘arrow’ and seeing Andrew’s white face and wide eyes.

Matt cried out, tapping with his tiny feet on Neil’s forehead. This caused the redhead to frown and grunt, making Kevin say: “Neil?”

Neil grunted again, struggling to open his eyes.

“Neil!” Robin cried out. “I’m sorry!”

Neil groaned and turned towards her, almost falling out of Andrew’s lap. “Izznotyour fault.”

Kevin grabbed his non-injured hand and squeezed tightly. Neil opened his eyes and looked up at him.

“Please take care of Dan and Matt for me.”

“We will,” Kevin said.

Andrew hugged Neil closer, feeling tears creep into his eyes. His throat was closed up and his head was screaming, but nothing came out but a small tremble.

Neil chuckled, trying to grab Andrew’s shirt but missing and having his hand flail to his stomach. 

“Fight,” Andrew then said, so soft that only Neil heard, as Andrew’s breath tickled his ear when he spoke.

Neil wanted to react, but was interrupted by a hacking sound. The Dread Gnomes were coming through.

Kevin bit his lip, trying to find something to hold them off somehow. There was nothing.

Then, Robin’s eyes lit up. “Can’t we use the nectar? You used it to heal me, right?”

Kevin sighed, but before he could answer, Neil did it for him.

“I used the last of it on you,” he said. “So there is none left.”

“No…” Robin gasped. “I don’t believe you!”

She grabbed Neil’s sachet and turned it inside out, the bottle where the nectar from the Lilies of Life had been in rolling over the floor. Robin picked it up, tears forming in her eyes again when she found out it was empty indeed.

“It’s fine,” Neil said when Robin started crying again. “I don’t regret saving your life.”

Robin just continued crying. Neil wanted to console her, tell her it was alright and that he’ll watch over them like his mother was doing for him, from the Afterlife. 

But his strength had escaped him, so all he could do was give one last smile before his eyes closed and he went limp.

Matt howled, tapping on Neil’s forehead again, but this time, no matter how hard he tried, the by didn’t wake up. Dan cawed, but was being smothered by Robin’s hug, who was holding the bird for her own comfort.

On Andrew’s face, no emotion was seen. But he held Neil’s body just as tight – if not tighter – as before, while his breath shuddered and his mind went blank.

Kevin let go of Neil’s hand, taking a deep breath before grabbing his sword and facing the door. His eyes were stained with tears, but they had other problems now as well, and if he didn’t want his brother and Robin to be killed as well, he had to face those problems first.

The Dread Gnomes had almost destroyed the door, so it would be only a matter of minutes – maybe even seconds – before they’d get in.

And if he couldn’t save Neil, he sure as hell was going to give it his all to save the others instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I'm not sorry.
> 
> Come yell at me on [Tumblr](https://crazypenguinwriter.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Lots Of Love! <3<3<3  
Penn


	25. Do Or Die

Andrew stared at Neil’s pale face, mind blanking out as for once, he had no idea what to do, what to think or even what to say. Neil was dead. Or dying, as Andrew felt tiny, almost non-existent puffs of breath against his hand when it hovered over Neil’s face.

Kevin had taken guard, wiping his own tears away. Andrew wished he had his brother’s strength right now, but his limbs felt numb. It kind of surprised him that his own heart was still beating, as he seriously thought he might have stopped breathing altogether. 

Robin let Dan go and cradled the empty bottle. The cork laid somewhere on the ground, as she had tried once more to see if there really was no nectar left, but there was nothing. 

Their situation wasn’t getting any better. The gnomes were getting through the barricade Kevin had built, and even if Kevin was going to fight them, it wouldn’t mean anything in the end. There were just three of them, and at least a few hundred of the gnomes. In the end, they’d all die and be fed to the larva behind them.

Kevin didn’t want to give up though. There was no way they had come so far and collected four out of the seven gems for the Belt of Deltora, only for them to end up like dead meat. There was no way he’d let the Shadowlord win and the people of Deltora, who all trusted them to bring peace – or at least, those who knew of their mission did – to their country again, suffer. 

He had to finish the quest. For the people of Deltora, but most importantly for his parents, who were fighting their own battle in prison every day. 

Kevin looked back to Andrew, who was still cradling Neil’s body and sighed. Andrew took this harder than he had thought, especially after giving him crap for wanting to save their parents. 

He glanced at Robin, who was still crying all of the water out of her tiny body, hugging the bottle the nectar had been sitting in. Dan was sitting on her shoulder, huddled in herself, looking at Matt, who was furiously trying to wake Neil up while crying himself.

Then Kevin frowned. His eyes went back to the bottle Robin was holding. Was that…?

Another tear landed in the bottle, making something light up.

Kevin’s eyes widened, and he ran over, grabbing the bottle out of Robin’s hands – who didn’t even react – and held it up against the light of the torches on the wall.

“Hey,” Robin reacted weakly, realizing he had taken the bottle out of her hands.

Kevin didn’t react. His heart pounded faster, and a smile crept up his face.

There, on the bottom of the bottle, laid a tiny drop of glittering nectar. It probably had sunk to the bottom after being held down for so long, waiting to be seen. 

“Guys,” Kevin said, getting exited. “There is still one drop left!”

Andrew’s head shot up. He looked at Kevin, then at the bottle he was holding and then, at the tiny drop that was still left.

“It might not be enough,” Kevin continued, turning around to face the others. “But maybe-”

“Kevin give it!” Andrew made grabby hands towards his brother, who snickered and gave him the bottle.

Andrew pushed Neil’s lips apart and they all watched the tiny drop slide down the bottle and into Neil’s mouth.

The gnomes provided some background with their hacking and exited shouts, but all of that faded in their ears, as they stared at their friend, waiting for him to wake up again.

Nothing happened.

Robin sniffled again, tears forming in her already red eyes. “It wasn’t enough.”

Kevin’s shoulders slumped, but then he heard the hacking and cackling of the Dread Gnomes again and jumped into action, determined to make sure they didn’t get to kill the other two as well. His own grieving could come later, even if tears clouded his sight.

Andrew didn’t want to give up. He knew Neil was a fighter, so he put all his heart into the silent plea he gave the boy again: “Fight Neil. Fight.”

The gnomes got in. Up front was Laila, who took one look at Andrew and Neil, had an eye-twitch and then said: “No-one has ever survived the Great Gellick’s poison. He won’t breathe for much longer.”

Andrew said nothing. He just glared at her and hugged Neil closer, not willing to give up just yet.

“We can talk about this,” Kevin said, sword raised. “We have a common enemy, the Great Gellick. Maybe together we can come up with some way to defeat him.”

James stepped forward. “We have no wish to do so. The Great Gellick has provided us with safety for all these years, and he will continue to do so if we comply to his wishes.”

“But no-one’s happy! We can see you’re all miserable; don’t you want to do something about that?” Kevin fired back, but he was met by gnomes who drew their bows.

Robin hid behind Andrew, who was looking for some way to get out of this situation without losing anyone. It seemed hopeless, as their exit was blocked and the enemy was with way more than they were.

But then, Neil stirred. 

Surprised, Andrew looked down to see Neil blinking against the harsh lights of the cave. His face was flushed, and Andrew now noticed the heat he was radiating – the idiot probably had a fever and would deny it the second someone brought it up, as usual – but he had regained consciousness. He was awake again.

“What the hell, why is it so bright here?” Neil muttered angrily, closing his eyes again and shielding them with his now-healed up hand. There was a small scar on it, instead of the small cut that had adorned it previously.

“Neil?” Robin asked, and it was only then that Kevin dared to turn around.

Neil opened his eyes again and saw Robin, who had poked her head over Andrew’s shoulder. He frowned, as he realised he hadn’t moved from his position in Andrew’s lap, but before he could open his mouth James spoke.

“That’s… impossible.” He sounded in awe.

Laila’s eyes had widened as well, surprised, just like the other Dread Gnomes who had come with them.

“Well, guess not.” Neil tried to sit up, felt dizzy and just laid his head against Andrew’s shoulder, who was still trying to get his happy tears in check.

Matt immediately ran to Neil’s face and nuzzled it happily, tears still flowing from before, but now they were not tears of sadness, but those of happiness. Dan flew over as well and sat on Neil’s head, calling him an idiot and to please never do this ever again.

“Neil!” Kevin ran over, threw his sword on the ground and pulled him and Andrew in a group-hug, his happy tears flowing over his face.

“Ow!” Neil said. “Loud.”

“Sorry,” Kevin said, softer this time. “But you kind of died, so to be fair, I’m not that sorry.”

“Asshole.”

Andrew grinned. “Happy to have you back forest junkie.”

“Could you not? The world is spinning and I’m too tired for any of this.”

“You have a fever and almost died, so no wonder!”

“How is this possible?” Laila asked. “Are you guys sorcerers?”

“Yes,” Andrew deadpanned. “Because those are a real thing.”

“Lola was one.”

“And of course you have to name the one sorcerer we met, Kevin.”

“It’s true!”

Neil grinned. “Glad to be back, but I think we’re kind of in a situation.” He sat up, blinked a few times to stop his head from spinning and turned to Laila and the other Dread Gnomes.

James held his head a little to the left, as if he was thinking on something.

Kevin let go of Neil and grabbed his sword, wary of what would happen next.

“You said that if we worked together, we could find a way to defeat the Great Gellick?”

Laila turned to her superior, flabbergasted. 

Kevin just smiled. “Yes. I know we can.”

“Then what was your plan?” James was still suspicious, but he did seem to have opened up a little.

Kevin and Andrew exchanged glances, while Neil was frowning at the Dread Gnome. 

“Get us to where Great Gellick is, and we’ll defeat him.” Andrew helped Neil sit against Robin and stood up. “You won’t get involved that way and may only get repercussions for letting the prisoners escape and attack, not for having an all-out riot.”

“And what tells us you’re not after our gold?” Laila asked, eyes narrowing.

“All we want is the emerald sitting on the Great Gellick’s head,” Kevin reassured her.

“You could let one or two of you follow us inside and make sure we do as we told,” Andrew offered. 

James and Laila exchanged glances. Then James turned towards the group. 

“So we help you get to the Treasure Room and have two Dread Gnomes escort you inside and make sure you won’t take any more than the emerald you seek, and you will defeat the Great Gellick for us?”

“Yes,” Kevin said.

“Then consider it a deal.” James smiled, and some of the gnomes behind him were starting to whisper excitingly. “Me and Laila will be the ones escorting you into the Treasure Room and will be with you inside.” He turned towards the other Dread Gnomes. “The rest of you carry on your duties as usual, to make sure the Great Gellick doesn’t get suspicious. And make sure that this deal doesn’t get widespread: we don’t know where the Great Gellick has his ears at.”

The other gnomes nodded and left the room.

“Will your sick friend join us?” James then asked, looking at Neil with worry.

“He will,” Neil said before anyone could say anything.

“He will most definitely not,” Andrew said. “Because he almost died, is feverish and probably can’t even stand on his own. He’d be useless in a fight right now, so I’d rather have him somewhere safe.”

“I’m getting better!” Neil protested, and he tried to showcase that by standing up, but he fell over almost immediately.

Andrew and the others watched him curse and try again and again, until he finally stood on his two feet, albeit very wobbly and leaning heavily on Robin’s head.

“Case and point,” Andrew just said. “Is there anywhere safe we can deposit him for the time being? Him and the small kin.”

Robin wanted to protest, but then remembered she couldn’t fight and just grumbled.

“Alvarez is stationed to guard the outside with Ri-Nan, so I think he’ll be safest there.” Laila looked Neil up and down. “We just have to get him there.”

“That should be no problem,” Andrew said, grinning.

“I can walk,” Neil said, as Andrew was pulling him forward in the make-shift cart they had built from a few barrels and some lose pieces of wood from the broken door.

“But this is way more fun,” Andrew said. “And maybe it will teach you not to take poisoned arrows to the hand.”

Neil just grumbled and hugged Matt closer, who was still nuzzling his face from time to time, when he remembered not to be tired from all the crying and happiness his best friend was still alive.

Kevin just smiled. “You should get some sleep. Your fever is still running.”

“I’m not going to. Again, I feel better, so I’m probably doing better.”

He still had red cheeks and ears, so Kevin didn’t believe Neil when he said he was doing better. Rolling his eyes, he jogged up to Andrew and tapped his shoulder.

“How are we going to defeat the Great Gellick?” he whispered, looking up to the two Dread Gnomes guiding them to make sure they didn’t hear.

“We’ll figure something out when we face him, like we always do.” Andrew glanced at his brother before looking ahead again. “We just have to make do, the two of us.”

Neil, despite saying he didn’t need to sleep, had fallen asleep after drinking some water for his sore throat, hugging a sleeping Matt. In his dreams he saw the Great Gellick, sleeping soundly on the piles of gold, while the gnomes around him worked their asses off. 

“We’re almost there,” Laila said, looking at the sleeping Neil before looking Kevin in the eye. “We’ll get the other gnomes out of the Treasure Room, to make sure no-one gets hurt. When we come and get you, you can enter, but not even a second before that.”

“Okay,” Andrew said, while Kevin said: “Oh! Good plan!”

They got outside, where the stars were shining brightly. The group followed a small pathway up the mountain, which eventually led to the entrance to the Treasure Room, guarded by Alvarez and a gnome with red hair and beard. 

“Laila!” Alvarez said. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to escort…” she looked up to the others, who hadn’t actually told them their names.

“I’m Kevin,” Kevin said. “That’s my brother Andrew, the one sleeping in the make-shift cart is Neil and the kin is Robin. We’re here to help you get rid of the Great Gellick.”

Alvarez’s eyes widened. She looked at Laila, who shrugged.

“I’m Alvarez,” she then said. “The other guard is Ri-Nan, and I’m sure you’ve met James and Laila. If you could defeat the Great Gellick, that’d be awesome.”

“We’ll try our best,” Kevin said, smiling.

“Neil had been shot and is recovering from one of your arrows,” Andrew said. “He cannot assist us, but needs a save place to stay. Laila said you could guard him and Robin.”

Alvarez looked at Laila again, glaring this time, who looked anywhere but at the other gnome. She then sighed. 

“I guess I’m not coming with you to beat the Great Gellick then.” She then looked at Neil. “Did he really survive his venom?”

“He did, miraculously,” Laila said.

“Don’t think I’m just going to ignore you protecting me again.” Alvarez pointed to Laila. “When all of this is over, we’re going to have a talk.”

“Damnit,” Laila said. 

James shook his head and sighed. “Laila, Ri-Nan, let’s get to it.”

Ri-Nan shot one last look at Kevin and Andrew and then followed his leader.

Dan flew from Robin’s head to Neil’s, ready to pick anyone who’d disturb the boy’s sleep. His cheeks were less red, so his fever was probably going down.

Kevin checked and it felt like it, but it was a little hard to know for sure.

“We should leave our stuff here,” Andrew said. “We won’t need it.”

Kevin nodded, putting his backpack with Andrew’s next to the cart. He then got the Blister out, feeling like they could use it.

“We’re good to go,” Laila said, coming out of the Treasure Room. 

Andrew and Kevin nodded and went inside, after thanking Alvarez for looking after Neil.

“No problem. Good luck,” she said, smiling. 

And with that, they stepped inside of the cave.

Neil was still in the Treasure Room, watching James and Ri-Nan help the last gnomes get out of the cave. He had figured out he had accidentally drunk some Spring water while in the cart. How they didn’t notice they had another water-pouch filled with the stuff, Neil didn’t know, but he decided to roll with it, as it did help him kind of be able to of use for the fight.

The Great Gellick had been sleeping soundly while everyone was being evacuated, so if they could hit him fast and hard, killing the big toad should be no problem. They just had to watch out for his venomous skin and spit. 

Laila came back, with Kevin and Andrew, so Neil pinched himself to wake up. It didn’t work, making him a little grumpy, but he walked over to where Kevin and Andrew were nonetheless.

“He’s bigger than I had imagined,” Kevin said, making Andrew snort.

Laila just rolled her eyes and walked over to James and Ri-Nan, who were coming their way.

“We got everyone out safely,” James said. “We’ll stay close, but won’t interfere.”

Laila wanted to protest, but Ri-Nan put his hand on her mouth, making her punch him in the stomach and then glare at James.

“We can’t risk it getting out that we helped them,” James said. “The punishment will be way less severe if we can pretend they had just escaped and come here on their own.”

Laila couldn’t really bring anything up against that, so she just grumbled and sat down.

“Good luck,” James said. “I hope you can defeat him.”

Kevin smiled and he and Andrew ran up to one of the piles close to the Great Gellick to discuss some strategy.

“You take the sides, I’ll go for his belly,” Andrew said.

“But what if he crushes you?” Kevin asked. “Or you touch some of his skin?”

“I’m smaller than you are, and that will for once work out in my favor, as it buys me some time to get out if need be.”

Kevin nodded. They got out of their hiding spot and got up to the Great Gellick, hoping to catch him in surprise, but Ri-Nan ruined that for them.

“GREAT GELLICK!” he suddenly yelled, stepping away from Laila and James. “GREAT GELLICK!”

The Great Gellick woke up. “Hm? What?!”

“There are traitors here Great Gellick!” Ri-Nan yelled. “They brought intruders here, who were intent on killing you.”

“Where?” 

Kevin and Andrew had both gotten behind their own pile of gold, while Neil tried to pinch himself harder to wake up and be able to help. 

“Over there.” Ri-Nan pointed to Kevin and Andrew with his fingers. “And can you believe James is involved in this? He wanted to hide it from you, but I knew that you would rather know about it. Aren’t I a faithful servant?”

Great Gellick spat at the pile Andrew was sitting behind, and he ducked to another pile. Ri-Nan in the meantime, just continued blabbering, while Kevin also joined the fight.

“They wanted to stage a coup, you see? To throw you off your rightful throne. The audacity! We’re in such a better place with you as our esteemed leader, Great Gellick, if you ask me.”

Great Gellick tried to stomp Kevin to death, but he rolled away and then tried to hit the toad again, but his hide seemed to be impenetrable. 

“Aren’t you happy I told you? And again, James was involved in this, so I think you should feed him to the larva. That’ll teach him! And as a new leader you could appoint me, your loyal subject. I’d make a great leader of the Dread Gnomes!”

“What?” The Great Gellick looked at Ri-Nan, who froze up. “You dare order me? Dare to take my title as leader of the Dread Gnomes?”

“O-of course not!” Ri-Nan said, trembling now. “I’m sorry!”

“Sorry isn’t enough!” Great Gellick bellowed, and he spat at Ri-Nan, who took a step back but had frozen up from pure terror.

He immediately turned into a statue, with wide eyes and a terrified face. 

“Serves him right,” Laila said, regretting leaving her bow with Alvarez, as she wanted to help.

Kevin got out his Blister and threw it, shoving Andrew behind a pile of gold to shield them both. 

The explosion rang through the entire cave, alerting Alvarez outside as well.

She looked back and looked at Neil and Robin, biting her lip.

“We should help,” Robin said. “Somehow.”

Alvarez agreed, but she had no idea what to do with Neil, who was still sleeping – and trying to wake up somehow, but Alvarez didn’t know that. 

“We could hide him,” Robin said. “Dan can look out for them.”

Dan cawed, telling the other two that she had once protected Neil from sorceress Lola, so it should be no problem.

Robin didn’t quite understand her, but she did get the feeling that Dan had agreed with her, so she smiled. 

Alvarez grinned, seeing Robin smile. “Well, we gnomes are known for our traps, so hiding him should be a piece of cake.”

The kin nodded, still smiling. 

In the cave, things had died down from the explosion. 

Kevin looked up, only to see Great Gellick still standing and even laughing. 

“Silly human,” he said. “You think my own poison works on me? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”

“Your… own poison?” Kevin asked, confused.

“What do you think those Blisters are made of?” Great Gellick asked him. “The gnomes set up a weekly quota of my poison at the end of the mountain, on the road that connects to the Shadowlands. There, a pod of Grey Guards picks it up and brings it to wherever they make their Blisters. I am quite essential to the Shadowlord, as you could have guessed.”

“I had no idea,” James said, grabbing his sling and loading it. “But if I had known we were helping our worst enemy, I would have tried to stage a coup sooner.”

Laila grinned. She had been for rebelling against their oppressor for way longer, and she knew that James didn’t want the abuse, but he just didn’t know how to get rid of the Great Gellick. Now they had that chance, and the fire that had been building finally got out as well. 

The Great Gellick spat at them, but Laila pulled James down and they escaped.

This gave Andrew an opening to try and slash Great Gellick’s belly, which didn’t work. He got away before the toad could crush him, landing next to Laila and James. 

“He’s impenetrable,” he told them. “Or at least his skin is.”

“If we can get up the platform, we could try to get to his insides,” Laila said. “We just need something harmful to throw in there and a distraction so we can have a safe passage.”

Kevin had noticed them discussing strategy, so he distracted the Great Gellick by calling him names and irritating him by hitting him with his sword.

Neil had frozen up by the mention of something harmful to get in Great Gellick’s throat, but before he could get angry because he wasn’t waking up, something brown flashed before his eyes.

“Hey Gellick!” Alvarez yelled, who was sitting in Robin’s pouch, bow drawn. “Have something to chew on!”

She shot an arrow into his mouth when he tried to spit at them, and Robin handily dodged the projectile flying past.

Kevin grinned, before he remembered they were supposed to watch Neil. Andrew was already cursing the two of them, but he couldn’t decide if checking up on Neil was more important than this fight. 

“Alvarez!” Laila yelled. “You were supposed to stay outside!”

“Neil’s fine!” she yelled back. “You sounded like you could use the help, so here we are!”

Robin had some purple moss with her as well, throwing it at the Great Gellick, who did get minor burn injuries from them, but not enough to be lethal or even dangerous to the toad.

He just laughed. “I’ve never seen a kin before in my life. Maybe you’ll be even more delicious than the larva.”

Robin threw some more moss at him in response. 

The help came in handy, but it still didn’t seem enough to actually be able to defeat the Great Gellick. Andrew wanted to ask Robin to throw some of the moss in the toad’s mouth when he opened it again, but he had no great hope that it would do something.

James slung stones with his sling, Alvarez was shooting arrows from Robin’s pouch, Laila had started throwing rocks as well, as she had no other weapon, and Kevin was still hacking into the skin, trying every spot he could find and hoping it would somehow be different from the other spots. 

And then: “ANDREW!”

It was Neil. He stood in the cave, panting and holding a pouch of water in his hand. Dan flew over his head and cawed, calling the Great Gellick names and trying to get it to focus on her and not Neil, while Matt sat on his shoulder. 

Andrew wanted to curse the boy for being so idiotic to get into the cave while he was still recovering and then ask him what the pouch was about, but Neil had noticed the Great Gellick seeing him and getting ready to spit.

“DREAM WATER!” he yelled, throwing the water-pouch in Andrew’s general direction before ducking from the spit. 

Andrew had to jump up to catch it, eyes gone wide when he heard what Neil had said.

Kevin understood as well, so he hit the Great Gellick once more and yelled: “I bet your ego is as swollen as your body is!”

The Great Gellick turned around and tried to stomp him, but Kevin avoided it and grinned.

“Ha! You missed!”

The toad didn’t like that, so he opened his mouth to spit Kevin to stone and Andrew threw the opened pouch towards him.

The Great Gellick gulped and it fell silent.

Everyone was watching the giant toad, waiting for something to happen, while he gulped again and seemed a little confused.

Then he started screaming, and everyone had to cover their ears. He kept screaming and screaming, the whole mountain must have heard. 

Slowly but surely, the Great Gellick’s limps turned to wood and the more of his skin got covered, the faster the transformation went. And then, the Great Gellick was a tree adorning the middle of the Treasure Room.

Some gnomes who had come in to see what was happening poked their heads inside, while they all uncovered their ears and stared.

Something shiny fell out of the tree, and Kevin, after getting out of his stupor, caught it. It was the Emerald.

He let out a laugh, turned to the others and held it up. “We won!”

And everyone cheered.

“How did you know we still had Dreaming Spring water?” Andrew asked Neil, as they were partying with the Dread Gnomes on James’s insistence. 

“I accidentally drank some of it and found myself in the Treasure Room in my dreams. I followed most of your fight and some of what happened before that.”

Andrew hummed, before drinking some more of the alcoholic beverage Laila had shoved in his hands, insisting he’d try. 

She and Alvarez were celebrating as well, giggling and hanging on each other’s shoulders the entire time. 

Kevin got back from talking with James. “We can get some food and other supplies from the gnomes, as part of their thanks.”

“That’s nice of them,” Neil said. “Maybe they have some berries for Matt.”

Matt yipped, happy to maybe get some berries again. Neil strolled off to go look for James, to ask if they could have some.

“Well, he’s all better again,” Kevin commented. 

Andrew hummed again, this time a little puzzled. He didn’t understand how that had happened so fast. He knew the Lilies of Life were an almost instant heal of any wound, but they had never used this little. It had only been one iny-tiny drop, and Neil got feverish as a side-effect, which could suggest it hadn’t been enough.

Not that he wasn’t happy – kind of, Neil still was a stupid forest junkie after all – but something seemed a little… off.

But that was something they had to figure out another time, as one of the Dread Gnomes just entered the cave looking like he’d seen a ghost or something.

“The kin!” he yelled. “They’re back!”

Some other Dread Gnomes panicked a little and wanted to get their bows, but James stopped them.

“We’re not going to attack them.” He looked around and smiled. “For too long we have been enemies of each other, and us hunting them should now be a thing of the past. We should try to ask them for forgiveness and welcome them back on _our_ mountain, as it is as much their mountain as it is ours.”

“Maybe we’ll finally be able to get through the forest again,” Alvarez muttered, smiling to Laila.

Laila grinned back and pecked her cheek before they joined the others in welcoming the kin.

The kin were a little wary when they saw all the Dread Gnomes coming out, but they still landed close by, ready to fly off if something happened.

Kevin, Andrew and Neil also got out, bringing Robin, who was ecstatic that her family was coming to get her.

As much as she had enjoyed this adventure, she was also ready to just be with her mother and the others again, and to have some peace and quiet before she’d set off again.

The other kin visibly calmed down when they saw Robin coming through the crowd, seeing as she was unharmed and still with the trio.

“Mom!” she yelled, running over and throwing herself in her mother’s arms.

Robin’s mother hugged her daughter tight and smiled at the trio, silently thanking them.

James and Crenn met up in the middle, and after some tense staring, James smiled and offered his hand.

“I, James, hope that we Dread Gnomes can ask for forgiveness for the cruelty we have bestowed on your people. We understand forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting, and we also understand it if you could never forgive our actions, but we do hope that you’ll want to work on our relationship and at the very least, return to _our_ mountain, as it’s your home as well as ours.”

To say Crenn was surprised was an understatement. He thought of all the kin who had been killed, of all the pain the Dread Gnomes had caused them, and then looked at James’s hand again. 

He knew they had suffered as well, that the Great Gellick had been a cruel abuser and that maybe, just maybe, the gnomes had been through enough as well. If that meant he could forgive them, he wasn’t sure, but one look back at the others, and seeing the hope in their eyes, made him turn back around and take James’s hand.

“We the kin cannot completely forgive you Dread Gnomes yet, but we are willing to see if we can build on our relationship again and see if Dread Mountain can become _our_ mountain.”

The gnomes and kin cheered, and Kevin smiled.

Again, the history the kin and Dread Gnomes had was a hard and painful one, but at least they were both willing to try and see if they could work on a new and brighter future.

So then the kin were pulled into the party as well, while Robin told everyone all about their adventure.

The next day, the trio was ready to go on their way again, with new supplies and even berries for Matt to have. And both the gnomes and the kin had come to see them off.

“We want you to have this,” Laila said, presenting a small box with a golden arrow-head inside. The arrow-head was carved in with beautiful patterns as well, and laid on a purple cushion. 

“If you ever need our help, send us this arrow-head.” She pointed at the now closed box. “And we’ll come right away.”

Kevin smiled as he accepted it. “Thank you.”

“Have a safe journey,” Alvarez said. 

“We will,” Kevin said.

Andrew still had one small concern. “How will you now do those weekly deliveries?”

James grinned. “The kin had come up with a substitute.” He looked at Ailsa to explain.

“If you mix the stream’s water and crushed Boolong-cones together, you get a similar substance to the poison. We can put those as substitutes and keep the last of the real stuff for emergencies. The Shadowlord will not ever get his hands on that again.”

“Smart,” Kevin complimented them, and Andrew nodded.

“Will you come and visit some day?” Robin asked, looking at Neil.

Neil grinned. “I’d love to, but we first have to finish this.”

“Okay, stay safe.” Robin hugged all three of them before returning to the others.

The trio left, waving at the Dread Gnomes and kin until they were out of sight.

“Well, just two to go.” Kevin smiled at the other two, and only Neil smiled back. “We can get that done in no time.”

“But we don’t exactly know where the Maze of the Beast is,” Andrew said. “Dad had trouble finding an exact location, as everyone who has gone there, never came back.”

Kevin got a little sad thinking about their parents, but then his resolve grew. “We know a general area, and with our luck, we’ll just stumble in unknowingly and then have to fight the Guardian there unprepared. So I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

Neil snorted. “We can always ask the Carn Squad, as they’re probably already following us as we speak.”

“Well, you go ask them all you want then Neil,” Andrew said. “But I’m not even getting close to those guys again. We’ll need bigger numbers for that, and unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury. Do make sure to send me a card from the prisons or Shadowlands.”

Neil stuck out his tongue, and Kevin smiled.

They might have more enemies now, but they also had more friends and were almost done with their quest, as they only needed two more gems. 

And then they had to find the heir, of course, but that should become clear when the Belt of Deltora was reassembled, according to Wymack. 

So they just went on their way to the coast near Tora, where the Maze of the Beast was located somewhere. It was quite the way, but that’s what you get for having to travel all over to collect the gems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I couldn't take one of the episode-titles (WHICH HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM YOUTUBE I AM SAD), I took one from the book for once.  
Also, I hadn't explained the three new characters in the previous chapter, one because there isn't much to explain (I had made Jeremy tiny already, so I just decided to make all of the Trojans tiny and since the Dread Gnomes had a leader, Gla-Thon, I just made James Rhemann take his place; Laila and Alvarez kind of share the female gnome Fa-Glin, but Laila is the one that takes on more of her role than Alvarez) and two because I'd rather leave the endnote as it is thank you very much.  
Anyways, that was a wrap up for book 5! Just 3 more books to go! WHOO!  
Book 6 is definitely my second favorite from the Deltora series. Both because of some (new) enemies and because of the Guardian. They're just awesome and I can't wait for our boys to meet them.
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is quite late when I post this, so if there are any mistakes, please do tell me.  
See you next time!  
Lots Of Love,  
Penn
> 
> **SPOILERS**  
PS: I still think the kin forgave the Dread Gnomes too easily, but this was less worse than the complete and immediate acceptance I remember from the anime, and kind of needed for plot convenience later on, so I tried to make it a mixture of both the heavy unforgivableness and the forgiving of said heavy horrible unforgivableness.  
PPS: also, in the book they healed Jasmine with the Ruby, but the Belt of Deltora specifically stated that it only cured snake-poison, and the Emerald is 'an antidote to poison', which I guess means all poison. I'd believe that it has been thoroughly tested if the Ruby worked against al poison as well, and the Emerald must have been tried as well, otherwise they wouldn't just state those things. The gems are canonly like thousands of years old, even when Adin came to collect them all. So no, I cannot and will not take this as truth and some deus ex machina that the Ruby can suddenly heal all types of poison. I'd rather take what the anime did: having one little drop still in the bottle Jasmine kept the Nectar of Life in. So that's what I did, with the added bonus that I now could also make sure Neil didn't just recover instantly, as they had used more than just one drop each time they had to heal someone and I wanted to kind of physics it or something.


End file.
